(AN: All Characters in Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi)

Chapter Six

The receipt Miroku had given her had grown dog eared and marred from the time she had spent fussing over it, sitting in her bed after a long day of painting fences, she had showered and was sitting in the privacy of her room hours later, having feigned tiredness at dinner to Sango, now resting with the small slip between her hands. The ink was still as crisp as when Miroku had written on it in the first place, even marred in a place where his thumb had touched the bare wet ink, smearing when she had taken it. She sat on her comforter in her room, dropping to her back with a long sigh, eyes closing with contemplation as her hands fell against her belly, the paper caught between thumb and forefinger and she breathed heavily though her nose closing her eyes tightly as if to wish the world away.

Her hair was splayed out behind her in a silky black curtain as she turned her head to look over at the face of her alarm clock, midnight having come and gone, now touching on the beginnings of one in the morning, the numbers changing over as she watched not entirely registering tiredness as she blinked away and stared back at each individual bump on her popcorned ceiling, counting them like stars and searching for a pattern within them. Something functional and recognizable within the craziness she was considering, an open-ended offer she had yet to understand yet alone accept from a virtual stranger.

Her phone buzzed on her nightstand, its vibrations catching her eyes as she let it sit for a moment, knowing it wasn't a call, but rather a text as she waited for a second too long the screen darkening against the flat of her nightstand. Reaching for it, the cutesy charms she had hanging off of it touching her wrist as she sat up, rubbing the heel of her hand into her eye, preparing for the brightness of her screen as she turned it on with a sigh. She and Koga had been exchanging texts throughout the day, so much so that her frequent pauses caught Sango's attention, leaving her to playfully razz her for her new 'boyfriend' but Kagome had taken a break when she took a small nap as promised at dinner.

"Can't sleep." Was written from Koga, a photo from him sitting as is contact image, one stolen from his Instagram the afternoon before. Their long drawn out conversation of the day marred by a great time difference as Kagome debated putting the phone down, wanting to be alone in her thoughts. "Thinking of you…" Came a follow-up a few seconds later, the ellipses caught her attention as she sighed.

"Me either." Was her quick response, chewing on her lip as she noted his response playing on the screen only to stop, so she continued, "Me too." Almost as a nod to her situation but also to him as well. He had been heavily on her mind, but not in the way he seemingly hoped for, their date playing in her head like a record as she replayed Miroku's offer. Why was that what she was thinking about the most? After all, she could just, not take him up on the offer, but the idea of making money, good money, was almost too hard to at least investigate. She pulled up the dialing portion of her phone as she resolved to call him, no matter the time to find out exactly what he had meant when he meant 'entertainment.'

The number half dialed by memory she was halted as another text came in from Koga, blinking on her screen for a long few seconds. "Heard a song that made me think of you on the radio today." She frowned at the text, but let out another lengthy sigh, backing up on her call, and pulling up to text again, curiosity overwritten caution as she responded simply, "Oh yeah? What song?"

Kagome was sitting in the dark, her face illuminated by her screen as she waited for his response, her expression flat as she waited almost impatiently, not having heard someone mention her in regard to a song since at the very least High School. That along with thinking about him, thinking about her, had her belly flip flop in a girlish kind of sentimentality, her curiosity sated after he texted her back a few seconds later with a link, "Alex Turner, Stuck on the Puzzle." A bowl haired boy sitting in the link, seemingly the album cover to whomever song was sung by, and so she clicked the link brought to the music playing app she had installed, another text sending in from him as it loaded, "I don't know, I've been listening to it on and off ever since I heard it. Figured you'd like it."

Turning down the volume of the music as a drumbeat struck Kagome was brought into an almost nostalgic state, listening to the gentle rhythm, the beat speaking of someone who was enamored, the first chorus bringing a smile to her face as she closed her eyes, the song ending too quickly for her liking, immediately hitting the replay button to absorb the song in greater intensity, the warmth of this affection cast her way distracting her as she couldn't halt the sweet smile playing on her face.

"You like it?" Came an almost apprehensive text from Koga as she sat through the remaining chords of the song dimming out, and she was quick to send him back a rare heart emoji in response, unable to form words for him at the moment as he went to type again, the dots appearing, only to pause, and begin again and stop entirely. She watched the screen; still unaware she was smiling in the dark. Was it not for her ringer going off as she received a call she might have spent a good ten minutes staring stupidly, going back to listen to the song again, instead sitting up, her finger touching the answering button for her call out of reflex as she stood up to walk in the dark steadying herself for a late night call with someone who was clearly showing deep set interest in her.

"Hello?" She answered in a soft voice, sounding more tired than she had intended, her voice gravelly from lack of use as she paused, listening and expecting to hear the song, or the familiar sound of his anxious breathing on the other end of the phone, but was met with a clinical beeping sound, one she was familiar with from the hospital before a female voice spoke matter of factly to her.

"Kagome Higurashi?" Kagome took a moment to silently question what was happening, her eyes opening wider as she leant over to click on the lamp beside her bed switching hands on her cellphone, taking the moment to look at the unknown number facing back at her, wondering why her name was a question before the voice continued, "This is Kagome, yes? We have two numbers on the file."

"Uhm, yes. This is Kagome Higurashi, who is this?"

"Hello Kagome, this is the Tokyo General Hospital calling."

Kagome's heart throbbed, Koga having texted her a few minutes earlier but all was forgotten as she felt her throat begin to grow thick, panic seeping into her bones as she immediately began dressing one handed, not caring that the only clothes she had were on the floor from the days work, stained with paint from their fence work that afternoon, "Has something happened with my Grandfather?"

"Yes Miss Higurashi, your Grandfather suffered a rather significant stroke."

All breath left her in one swoop as she felt her knees grow weak, reaching for the bed as she sunk towards it, her eyes wide and mouth dry unable to speak. Her insides had gone utterly cold, fingertips numb on the phone as she struggled to hold the phone against her ear, "A-…A stroke? W-When did this happen? Is he alright?" She felt stupid having asked this question, all knowledge at her disposal felt entirely out of reach as she swallowed hard, unable to speak as though her mouth filled with cotton.

"When your Grandfather initially slipped and broke his hip, it was believed he might have suffered an aneurism, a minor brain bleed. We believe it collected enough for him to end up experiencing a rather intensive stroke. We are hoping to send him into immediate surgery, as his only family we are calling to ask you to come down to the hospital to receive more details about his casefile."

Kagome felt utterly numb, her voice coming out in a squeak as she felt dizzy the room spinning out of control around her, she began nodding at first only to realize as her name was called a second time that she wasn't being seen by the nurse on the opposite line. "Uh-… y-yeah. Absolutely. I'll be there as soon as possible." The nurse had zero empathy as she said a curt goodbye, and the phone was placed on the line leaving her with a blank dial tone before she came to her senses, hanging up the line herself.

Rising to her unsteady feet, she took to her door, the world seeming to move in slow motion as she headed towards Sota's old room, serving now as Sango's, ham fistedly banging against the wood of it with knocking knuckles until her desperation to rouse her turned into panicked slapping of flat palm to wood. All at once she was on her knees, having falling into Sango who caught her, only realizing now that she was crying, crying like she had when she had received the call that there had been an accident, like when she had learned Sota had died, and then her mother in succession, hardly able to get the words out to a bleary eyed Sango, whose face became instantly alert when the truth tumbled from her lips. She left Kagome to her own devices in the doorway, standing her upright as she, with zero modesty to herself changed into fresh jeans, her tank top having to do as her black sweater followed, the pink ribbing bright in the light of her bedroom, one Kagome visited so rarely after Sota's death, decorated with plants in painted pottery, images of her family, her and her own brother Kohaku, who was in college in the States, and of her father, a victim of cancer while she was a teenager.

"Kagome. We have to catch a taxi." Sango spoke simply, having gathered a small file she had on hand, filled with paperwork she had gathered while working with Kagome's grandfather, but Kagome shook her head left and right, reaching numbly for her phone she had dropped on the floor, a fresh crack adorning its surface as she lifted it to Sango, "Call Koga. Tell him we need a drive to the hospital."

Sango didn't rip on her friend for this, taking the phone in her hand and doing as she was asked, recognizing the seriousness of it all and knowing that perhaps this was worth waking him for, otherwise unaware of their conversations who knew how long ago now. Kagome looked up at the wall, a clock sitting above the mirrored closet signifying that time had hardly moved since she had texted back to Koga. The clock ticked past the quarter past one mark as Sango spoke in a hurried tone, words Kagome had yet to register as the phone was thrust back into her hands, right to her ear, Koga's voice speaking directly to her almost breathlessly as if in a hurry.

"Kagome! I'm coming. Be ready for me. I'll be here in ten minutes. Less than that."

"I-…I'm sorry." She spoke in a warbled voice, catching as she choked on spit, tears coming faster now as it became suddenly all the more real than it had been when she received the news. "I just-… didn't know anyone else who had a car-… and I hoped."

"It's fine. I'm going to start driving. I'm hanging up now, but I'll be there soon. I don't want to be on the phone while I'm driving-…" He spoke in a voice so sincere it broke her heart, and she nodded, thinking suddenly that what she had told him about her mother might have figured into his choice of telling her that. She nodded numbly, "Okay. D-Drive safely." It was an automatic response as he hesitated, they both hesitated and she hung up without a goodbye, Sango reaching her hand out to pick her back up, when had she fallen again? It didn't matter. The world was spinning again, as she shook her head from the bombardment of unwanted thoughts peeling through her subconscious.

"You need to get on a fresh pair of pants." Sango spoke from far away, Kagome's eyes focusing as she looked at Sango's frightened expression, "These are covered in still wet paint. Come on…" She had her friends arm in a tight grip, her nails biting into her bare arm as Kagome impassively followed, Sango helping her find something fresh as Kagome in turn changed into something fresh, black denim jeans, socks on her feet and a soft long sleeved grey shirt to follow, lifted over her arms and pulled over her chest, her hair left loose, fresh from the shower as Sango offered her a hair tie from her bedside table, as Kagome shook her head, her hands undoubtedly too shaken to be of any use as a text pulled through the phone, sending Kagome into a panic. It was Koga five minutes from the Shrine as Sango guided Kagome from her bed, and to the kitchen, down the stairs and dressed for the unforgiving autumn cold.

She was so patient with her, Kagome noted this as Sango tapped her shoes on, tying the laces with dexterous fingertips, her face set with concern as she looked up to her friend, concern riddling her expression. Concern for her, for her grandfather. It was difficult for her not to puddle into tears again knowing just how much love was sitting there with her in that moment, that when she heard Koga's almost desperate knock at the door she felt it necessary to speak to Sango as she turned to open the door to Koga, who wasn't even wearing a jacket in his hurry, "It's going to be alright."

Koga entered breathlessly, hair loose and tangled about his shoulders as Sango turned back to Kagome, her eyes filling with tears of her own, as if needing the permission to feel. Maybe in this regard Sango was better prepared for crisis situations than Kagome would ever be, but the consideration of how close she was to the situation wasn't even to be brought into Kagome's thoughts as Sango came close, resting both of her hands on Kagome's shoulders. "It IS going to be alright. We'll find out everything we need to find out about this once we get to the hospital. We just have to breathe. Catch our breath and move forward from here." She turned to Koga, who had closed the door behind him, his tan skin prickled with goosebumps from the cold as he rubbed absently at the chill. "Let's just get ourselves together and go."

They were packed into the back of Koga's car minutes later, Kagome having had the thought to bring another one of Grandpa's sweaters with her, holding onto it against her chest as Koga drove. The car was in a better state than it had been the weekend before, cups and debris cleaned up, the pine smell of his air freshener tickling her nose as she crinkled the bag with her Grandfathers sweater close, sitting in the front seat of the car as Sango overlooked her notes, Koga seemingly unbothered by the light illuminating his car as he drove through the traffic, maybe a few beats faster than he should have, almost daring one of his comrades to pull him over for overtaking the speed limit. As they crept upon a light, he leant over, and squeezed Kagome's knee, hand shifting from the gearshift to drag his well kept nails over the denim as her took his offer and squeezed his hand in comfortable silence, before pulling forward at the green and returning his hand back to the stick.

Despite the fact he was still a virtual stranger, Kagome felt a keen respect for him taking the time out to help her like this. He drove with ease, with comfortable reflection in his eyes and a keen resolve not to leave her in dire straits. It was clear to her now at the very least, that he wasn't going to leave her this evening, he would stay with her, even though he had no obligation to do so, and it filled her heart with hope, with gratitude as the bag crinkled in her arms, tugged tighter to her chest as the hospitals signature cross shone out from the highway, and off the turn Koga expertly took.

The entrance to the hospital was his first stop, pulling in to allow Kagome and Sango out while he went and parked, waving off Kagome's concern about the cost, urging her to allow him to meet them after he was done. He had reached out and taken Kagome's hand, taking the moment to boldly pull her knuckles to his lips and pressing a kiss to them. "I'll meet you up there. You need to be there now." He released her hand as she retreated from the car, standing at the curb as he closed the door and pulled away, driving to the parking lot without another word, his lips imprinting themselves warmly against her hand.

The smell of the hospital that had once filled her with purpose felt sickly in her lungs as she took in the sour, sterile smell of cleaner, the sickly sweet catch hanging in the air from something she wasn't able to quite place. The squeak of her shoes mixed with that of the people she had considered as close as family as she rose through the halls of the building, heading to the Intensive Care Unit where she felt he would have been directed, or at least where she should go, Sango in hot pursuit as she arrived breathlessly at the front desk. Almost out of reflex, she eyed the clock above the desk, its digital lines clicking out as she watched the onset of two in the morning, an hour having passed since the delicious crawl of butterflies had been crushed under the wheel of her grandfathers news.

"Kagome?" A familiar voice called out to her from down the hallway, Kagome's veins filling with ice as she turned to face the spotless coat of Hojo, who held a chart in his hands, his glasses being pressed up his nose as he faced her, head cocking to the side with subtle curiosity as he regarded her, eyes at first bright only to grow flat as he continued to regard her. Kagome turned to face her old superior, "I suppose you're here because of your Grandfather. Come into my office, he's in surgery right now." He turned to her, as she followed him mutely towards his office, Sango speaking softly so not to deter her path, "What about Koga? He's going to be here any minute." Kagome paused for a moment, her resolve shifting to focus as she shook her head and turned back to the front desk, Hojo turning to see if she was following, only to see her stopped at the desk, his face twisting into an impatient frown. "If a young man comes through looking for me, can you ask him to wait-… in the waiting room?" The desk clerk didn't bother to look up from her work before nodding, as Kagome turned on her heel and quickened her pace behind Hojo to follow him into his small office, the one she had been in not long before the moment that her life crashed around her. This space invited disaster, and as she sat down, him sliding behind his desk, Sango politely closing the door behind the three of them and sitting, Hojo spoke directly to her in a curt formal tone, almost cutting in how he regarded her.

"I'm sorry but this is to do with Miss Higurashi and her kin, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"N-No-… Sango-…" Kagome paused, her mind in such a blur, her last name managed to escape her for a moment before she tore herself from her thoughts to continue regardless, "Sango is my grandfathers live in care assistant. She's just as necessary to knowing his case as I am."

Hojo shuffled a file from a cabinet beneath his desk with a sigh that caused Kagome to bristle with anxiety, Sango in turn returned the sentiments, yet for her it was with annoyance. The way he was treating Kagome in this moment, with such disregard, so little care, caused a thick bile to spurn in her throat, one that caught unpleasantly against her teeth as she sat, stubbornly so, with zero intention of moving no matter how Hojo spoke to her in these moments, less even for her at this point.

"Well then, lets begin. Mr. Higurashi, your grandfather… and patient." He barely looked over his paperwork at Sango as he said this, "Has had what we call an Intracerebral Hemorrhage. After his documented fall a few weeks past, which resulted in him needing a whole hip replacement, and subsequent illness while in our care, we failed to note any duress on his brain. However, this 'brain bleed' as resulted in him having a Hemorrhagic Stroke, and given Mr. Higurashi's advanced age…" He trailed off as Kagome watched him, the words making whole sense to her, but failing to click together as he spoke to her. Turning her eyes back to Hojo, she wasn't entirely aware she had begun crying again, wet trails making their way by her cheeks, rubbed raw from her impatient sleeve finding purchase in rubbing the tears away, now stinging as she sniffed, Hojo making no move to grab the box to Kleenex in front of him to aid her, Sango sighing loudly to pull a tissue for her and pass it to her friend.

"Given his advanced age, we're going to do our best, but the odds of fatality are high. So, I'm here to ask if there is a DNR order in place if things are to go awry. That along with knowing your grandfather is on the donor list, whether or not you're still interested in donating his organs, or his body to-…"

"Are you serious?" Sango barked out unexpectedly her fury plain to see as she stood up, Kagome was catatonic to her outburst, so engrossed in all that there was to lose that when Sango spoke she didn't even jump, which is more than could be said for Hojo who looked surprised for her outburst. "You've got her grandfather in surgery and you're already writing him off? Are you that much of an asshole you can't even discuss treatment options? What if the operation is a success?"

Hojo cleared his throat, tapping the papers again as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Miss-… Dango." "It's SANGO." "Yes, Miss Sango. The likelihood of Mr. Higurashi pulling through this surgery is very slim. That being said, his quality of life is likely diminished if present at all. Miss Higurashi knows this. I'm just being realistic about this issue. Even if he was to pull through, theres no guarantee that he would be able to return home, to lead a normal life. He's had a long life, and I want to be realistic with the odds."

"God you really are a dick." Sango spoke in a sharp tone, voice cutting like glass as Kagome raised her hand in a hopes to quell her fury, to stave off any further verbal abuse towards him, "No, he's a total dick. He fires you, for no decent reason, then he tells you this like you're just a random person from the street. Not like he's worked with you for years; not like he didn't KNOW your grandfather. Do you not have any tact at all?" She turned back to Hojo who had yet to look any different than before, causing Sango to grow even angrier than before, "He's in surgery now, isn't he? How about we focus on the potential for recovery rather than just sweeping him under the rug like a statistic?"

Kagome nodded, agreeing with Sango's sentiments, Hojo seemingly annoyed by the interaction wholly, not relenting regardless. "Well, should he survive and recover, we're looking at a longer hospital stay until he's back to himself, or at least as much as we can expect given the severity of his stroke. If he were to become well enough to leave, well… He'd likely need long term care somewhere in a facility which could deal with the severity of the stroke he has recovered from… long term palliative care. I'm sure there are some pamphlets in the lobby that someone can deliver to you. But its best if you don't place too much stock in a long term recovery. I don't believe Mr. Higurashi is going to make a recovery that will make returning home a possibility." He finished his unhelpful tirade by leaving the two of them sitting in silence, Sango visibly seething as Kagome mulled over the words. After a minute or to of collective silence, Hojo completed his thought process, or at the very least seemed to remember formalities enough to issue an apology on Kagome's behalf, but the sincerity didn't reach his eyes.

"How much are we looking at… financially-… in regard to this surgery, Doctor?" Kagome spoke in a voice that didn't sound like her own, matching the sterility of the room around them, Hojo leaning back in the chair, steepling his fingers together in thought, "I would like to see whether we could seek a grant… some leniency from insurance for the surgery itself and for the care he's receiving now."

"I'm not entirely sure. You know our team is doing what we can to stop the bleed around his brain, which is a risky surgery in itself-… That and the care… Well Miss Higurashi. I'm not entirely sure. I'll talk with our collectors and we'll go from there. I'll make sure that you get a notice in the mail with the amount in a few days." He finished, closing the file with a snap that made Kagome blink.

"I need an amount now." She spoke in an uncharacteristically fierce voice. The necessity of this knowledge being paramount to her immediate decision making. Sango looked at Kagome earnestly knowing where her mind was at with the words she spoke as Hojo pulled out his cellphone, cross referencing with his computer as they sat in silence, the tapping of his keys an unhelpful reminder of just how deep this would throw them under in the meanwhile. He looked over his glasses up at the two of them, "I'm not able to precure an exact amount-… but I would suggest looking fervently into additional funds from family if at all possible."

Kagome felt herself sink deeper into debt with his words, eyes closing as she felt a wave of hopelessness fill her all at once. How was there any hope in covering everything necessary now with this additional expense on top of everything. Guilt swelled within her as she thought of the additional savings that she had put away for her grandfather's funeral now potentially being used to maintain his life, a life he might not even get to enjoy himself, kept alive with machines by technology, just so she could get a few more precious days of life with him. However, all at once, she felt a placid calm fall over her. Miroku came into her mind, paramount in focus with his offer. A few hundred an hour, being pretty, entertainment. What was her pride to her in finding out what this meant if it covered her debts, if it kept the Shrine from foreclosure, their home from foreclosure? Her grandfathers health and wellbeing upkept? She smiled, a hollow smile at Hojo who met her sentiments with his own as Sango was forced to look down at her friend believing that maybe she had lost her mind with the serene smile on her face. "I'm sure you'll do everything in your power to ensure this surgery is a success. Thankyou for your time this morning doctor." She rose from her seat before either Hojo or Sango could speak, bowing respectfully forward not meeting Hojo's eyes as she left the small office space Sango in silent pursuit, shooting daggers in his direction as she turned to leave, closing the door behind her with a snap.

Koga was standing at the desk patiently waiting as they approached, Kagome's face entirely devoid of emotion as he approached both her and Sango, his expression in a mirror of concern to Sango's as she pulled into his extended arms, his hands flattening over her arms, jostling her just so for her to look into his eyes as she looked to the left rather and caught the attention of the nurse attendant who looked up expectantly, "Please make sure to call me on how Mr. Higurashi's surgery goes… I assume he will be in the ICU for a good amount of time when he exits the OR." She spoke it flatly simply letting the words flat, knowing the woman behind the desk intimately as she nodded in response, not even needing to ask her name as she might have done for anyone else before maintaining her gaze a moment more. "We should get coffee." Kagome finished, turning out of Koga's arms and exiting the stagnant ward at a pace her followers were forced to jog with to keep up, her expression remaining just as it had as she left the office, naught but flat resolve as all signs of tears having dried in her eyes at her decision.

They three of them sat in the local twenty-four hour café a few minutes from the hospital, their drive silent as they had found the venue and sat within the booth together, the half hour after leaving full of questions, mostly in regards to Kagome, no sitting placidly holding a cup of coffee in a plain white cup, her hands once shaking now still as she raised the cup to her lips the heat not even registering.

The café was very simple in design, hardly there along the street side, its interior filled with aged leather booths, each scored along the red leather by scuffs and cuts, refurbished with duct tape, and ignored in others. A modge podge of chairs sat by the floor to ceiling front windows where the entrance began, each chair different than the other as menus sat in miniature caddies on each table, sugar and spoons to match within each. The tiled floor scuffed and marred, the kitchen only sectioned off by a wall, showing a tired looking waitress, smoking a cigarette out the open back door, but she had been ignored since their arrival as they had slid in the booth and ordered coffee between the lot of them, a coffee pot sitting in the center of the water stained table, a small bowl of creamer between them all.

"Are you alright? You haven't said anything since we left." Koga urged, facing the girls on the opposite side of the table, as Sango turned to face Kagome. It took her a moment to register she wasn't alone before placing the cup back to the table top and offering a numb nod. Koga didn't allow himself to buy it, poking her under the table with his foot. "I'm sorry-… about your Grandfather, Kagome. Do you think everything is going to be alright?"

Kagome had placed her phone in the center of the table, and she had yet to receive any news, Sango let out a sigh, reaching out to refill their cups, Koga yet to have made an impact on his. "Strokes in the elderly rarely end well. I feel like he's stubborn enough to pull through anything." Sango looked down at her filled mug, pouring in two creamers followed by a teaspoon of sugar into the deep brown liquid and stirring it in a languid, casual kind of way as the city street outside clattered noisily with a crowd of people who were there, and then gone, their raucous voices quietening as they passed.

"I think he's going to be alright." Kagome spoke simply, her voice quiet as she pulled her cup back to her lips, the sound of her voice echoing the in empty chamber as she suckled the final drops of coffee to her tongue, moistening her lips. "Doctor Hojo doesn't have any bedside manner, but he is a good doctor-… a decent surgeon. I know he's going to do what he can to save my Grandfather."

"He's good, but you're better." Sango interjected as Kagome leant her head on her hand, only to have her friend shake her head with an almost bittersweet laugh, "No, but you are Kagome. You've got your residency, your internship. You've graduated. You're already where he is. And he knows that. He's scared of you and what you stand to accomplish in the field he's established himself."

Koga knew very little about how Kagome was as a surgeon, he knew very little about who she was as a doctor even, but he knew she had potential, it was written in her face, in everything she was saying and doing. The fact that he arrived to see someone absolutely dissolved into fear, now a statue was saying more than he could speak to her, knowing that this girl above all else had endured familiar tragedies to himself and she was working out how to survive when all was said and done. He looked down at his coffee, then back to the clock on Kagome's cellphone, four thirty playing on the screen as he looked over how he had expected his night to go after he had texted her earlier. This hadn't been it, but knowing she trusted him enough for her to come to him when she needed it was something he wasn't going to take lightly. They sat in the silence again for a few more minutes before the vibration of Kagome's phone shook the three of them to attention, Kagome reaching across the table to answer it at its third ring, catching her breath before answering with a curt greeting.

Koga watched as Sango leant in, having caught her breath at the very first ring. She shifted closer, hoping to hear, Kagome not making a move to disallow her eavesdropping as she nodded in affirmation making a sound of understanding, Koga learning very little from his place across the table. As soon as the phone call had begun, it was over and Kagome was pocketing her phone properly, Sango exhaling in what sounded like relief as she slid back from Kagome's shoulder.

"He's out of surgery. They were able to stop the bleeding. He's stable for now, but not conscious. He's in the Intensive Care Unit. It sounds like we're in the clear for now, but I'll have to come in tomorrow afternoon to continue to talk about his casefile and where we're going to proceed from here…"

Koga felt the shared relief between all three of him, his own breath having caught now released in a whoosh of air as he leant on the table, pushing his cup away, and pressing his forehead to the table. He didn't know much about strokes, aneurisms or hemorrhages, but to him at the very least, knowing that the only remaining blood family member in Kagome's family was on the very edge of the other side filled him with a deep sympathy for her. Even still he could feel her rising resolve within her growing as she settled into the booth, her brown eyes hidden beneath the fanning of her black lashes over her tear stained cheeks. He pulled his hand over the table, offering it for her to take, which she did, her hand warm to the touch from her coffee, gripping his tightly, almost as if she was grounding herself against him. Her ran his thumb over her knuckles, but avoided her eyes, his second hand fussing with the arm of his cup as her felt her shift against him, taking her hand back after a moment.

"It's been a long night-… And I'm sure we all have things to do-…" She began, not entirely sure how to gauge her dismissal of him at this point, her focus on more things than the support he could give her now. "And I'm feeling kind of tired… So-… Why don't we part ways here and catch up in the morning?"

Sango nodded to herself, placing her mug back down, tiredness overwhelming her with the news of Grandpa's successful surgery. There wasn't much to be said at this point between the three of them, all that had to be done had been done and it was a waiting game now, to see whether Grandpa would recover, or even wake up at all. The very consideration filling her belly with anxious knots as she moved to stand and slide from the booth ensuring Kagome's request could be taken seriously, but she needn't have bothered as Koga nodded, standing himself and stretching.

Kagome shouldn't have watched him as he stood, his jeans hanging at the points of his hips, arms raising up as he stretched, his toned belly coming into view as he moved his arms above his head, the tight shirt not hiding his modesty as he did so. The fine line of black hair along his belly extended down to the cusp of his pant line, a black elastic from his underwear peeking from his pants as he did so. The tight musculature of his lean frame allowed her mind to thoughtfully drift elsewhere as he let out a heavy yawn and dropped his arms, his long hair hanging down his back as he nodded. Kagome's mouth had gone dry as she watched him, his attractiveness in that moment doing all kinds of things she otherwise wouldn't have considered as she lifted her coffee, bringing her mug to her lips and finishing off the dregs within the bottom half of the cup, her brows betraying her approval much to Koga's pleasure before standing to her feet and gathering her jacket, scooping a handful of coins for the absent waitress who had yet to come back from her break before they made their way back to Koga's car.

It had been a rushed goodbye as the two girls exited the car, Koga ensuring it wasn't a problem for him to have been help to her, but Kagome drifted behind him on slow feet as she approached the steps to the shrine with slow, exhausted feet. Sango having gone ahead of her to allow Kagome her goodbyes. However, Kagome wasn't going to let it last too long, and said so as Koga drove off out of sight down the road without any overbearing farewells. She stood at the street side watching the rising of the sun beginning to dawn above the glittering surrounding buildings, the waving leaves of the trees betraying its golden rays at a distance, pulling the chilly morning glow down to the streets below and to Kagome's lingering form. The trek up the stairs too much for her to do for a long moment as she regrouped herself with a long withering sigh, her breath smoking before her lips as she absently kicked at the small stones littering the walk way in a procrastinating motion, her eyes pointed decisively downward.

Grandpa had survived the surgery, she wagered however that there was a very high potential for his health to have deteriorated beyond what she could reasonably expect either herself or Sango handle. That being said, he had a long recovery ahead of him, and the problems his dwindling health presented meant a great deal to Kagome now. It was true his dementia had its effects on his memories both long and short term, but what did the future offer now? The overbearing questions were difficult to answer and numerous in the tails they presented, travelling down a series of rabbit holes that were all in themselves hard to answer by themselves. What did this mean for the Shrine? What did this mean for the family unit she had to continue upholding? Was she ready to take the whole responsibility of the Shrine without the aid of her grandfather? Without the learned traditions her stubborn teenage self hadn't taken the time to sit down and listen to?

Kagome felt the immediate longing to speak to her younger brother, who absorbed Grandpa's stories and lessons easily, while it felt like pulling teeth with herself. What more was there to say in terms of this? Had it a mistake for Kagome to have survived while Sota had passed? It was a dismal consideration that plagued her as she headed towards the stairs with quick steps, hoping to outrun the survivors guilt she was wallowing in now, each step growing more difficult as she approached it, lugging herself up each rising step to the home that would feel so empty without Grandpa's presence.

Sango had made her way to bed, her shoes sitting neatly at the doorstep as Kagome followed in close pursuit, discarding her shoes one after the other, only now vaguely aware of how sore she was as she made her way up the stairwell to the upstairs of the Higurashi home. Sango's door was closed, the light beneath her door turned out as Kagome turned off the hallways light and headed silently into her bedroom, which still looked as it had when she left. A pile of clothes on the floor, the comforter on her bed made but rumpled from her laying upon it. The clock face of her alarm clock flashing at her, betraying the time as five fifteen pushed to five sixteen and then seventeen in succession, she standing in her doorway like a statue before entering entirely and closing the door behind her.

The paper Miroku had given her was still sitting on her bed where she had forgotten it earlier, crinkled but obviously not belonging as she watched it, much like a deer watches a hunter. Before she knew what she was doing it was in her hand again, and the inky numbers were staring back up at her.

"Entertainment." She muttered quietly to herself, scoffing at the idea itself, but the dismal truth was really, what choice in income did she have at this point? It was a true, a secretary job or a café attendant could pay the base bills monthly. But it wouldn't make the same impact that what had been suggested to her would. What options were there really? Was she really considering degrading herself to adult entertainment to make ends meet? What would Sango think of her? What would Koga think of her?

Despite her mind thinking of Koga, with his bright blue eyes and charming smile, her mind drifted to Inuyasha. His mysterious consistency in her life, how often they had crossed paths now. His amber eyes reading her in ways that made her feel vulnerable and small. He had a hint of danger that was appealing to her, and for a moment she wondered what he would think of her in such a salacious position. But the thought dissipated as quickly as it appeared. He was a wealthy businessman, him and his brother. She doubted such a thing as her choice of employment, be that as a stripper or a surgeon really mattered.

Her phone was balanced in her hands as she glanced from the paper strip to the phones face tentatively. At the very least at this point, she needed to find out just what Miroku had been meaning about her. And at the very worst she could say no, and never think of it again. But if it turned out to be something that she found appealing-… Before she had a chance to think about it any further, she was typing the numbers into the phone and pressing 'DIAL' before she had a chance to overthink it anymore and stop herself. She wasn't considering the time, wasn't considering the consequences, seeking answers to questions was more important to her at this point that anything. Her belly flipped several times, a thrill of anxiety making her light headed as she sat on her childhood bed, fingers spreading over the comforter as the line rang three times, almost enough for her to reconsider before a voice groggily answered on the other end, the same voice that had repeated words in her head since they met.

"It's five in the fucking morning, who is this?"

"It's Kagome." She began, cursing herself for her stupid answer before stumbling over her words, the sound of someone moving about on the fabric of a bed, likely sitting up filled her ear as she continued, "Kagome Higurashi. I came into Hatchi's last week with Koga? You told me to call you-…"

"Right, Kagome. I didn't think I'd get a call back from you, since it's been a few days. Are you an early bird or something? Found another job at the local hospital?" His voice sounded tired, weary from broken sleep and husky on the line, but none the less teasing as Kagome bristled to his word choice, almost hanging up on him for the consideration before deciding otherwise, knowing he wasn't entirely aware of what had her up so early in the first place, her alarm clock mocking her further as she sighed.

"My Grandfather had a stroke last night." She spoke in a curt voice, to the point. It didn't feel right to mince words in her desperate hour. "And his hospital bills are going to be very expensive, and I happen to be very broke. Your offer came to mind, and I figured it was worth looking into."

"Direct. I like that." Miroku laughed on the other line, Kagome let out another sigh, finding a pattern in her exasperation as she found herself pacing back and forth along the small space of her bedroom. For once she was grateful not to hear the familiar sympathy from someone knowing about her plight. The poor little orphan with a sick grandfather was a tired story, and not worth the consistent sob story lay out, and following apologies by people who didn't feel sorry in the least. Kagome heard the roll of a lighter sparking once then twice, then a deep inhale as Miroku lit a cigarette. "Entertainment. I'm looking for dancers at my new club. Pretty girls like you would go a long way in my line of work."

"Dancers?" Kagome questioned simply; this word had plagued her as a question since it had been spoken in the first place. Was there any skill involved in what he was looking for? Her perfectionism coming front and center as she heard Miroku exhale noisily almost tired of the question itself.

"Can you shake your ass well enough to make men throw their money at you?" He asked with a crude level of blunt honesty that had Kagome silent for a long minute. He continued despite her silence, "I'm looking for stripper's sweetheart. You play a song, take your clothes off, get the blood boiling, shake your tits in a couple faces and leave. Entertainment at its finest. You're a nice girl, you have a cute face and nice legs. If you show up for an interview, I'll give you flat cash, no questions asked. If you decide to leave, then we won't talk about it again, but its worth checking out if you're in a tight spot."

Kagome hadn't realized she was holding her breath until it fell out of her in one long wave. It was exactly what she had expected it would be. He was asking exactly what she had suspected in the first place and seemed to have endless patience with her as she sat in silence weighing her options. Her breath filled her as she spoke in a soft voice, "Should I-… bring anything with me?"

"Well, I'll be interviewing you myself Kagome. So, wear something nice-… Preferably something that perks your tits up a bit. I'm thinking a bustier, stockings and heels. I'll turn you away if you show up in anything less than five inches. I'm feeling generous, so I'll send an Uber for you, so you don't have a chance of getting lost. I'll send it out at nine thirty tonight, so make sure you're ready to be picked up."

Kagome could feel herself shiver, but not from cold. Miroku wasn't messing around with his business, and she knew that this was the real deal in that he intended for her to be as serious as he was. She had no experience whatsoever in this line of work, and looked in the mirror scrutinizing her face, feeling disgusted with herself for even thinking about doing this, "Alright. I'll text you my address."

"Sounds good, baby. I'll see you tonight." Before she had a chance to issue her own goodbye, he had hung up and she was stuck with a dead line, buzzing unpleasantly until she hung up herself, her breathing coming out in short panicky pants as she did so. Her fingers had a mind of their own as she added his number into her phone as a contact, texting in the Higurashi Shrine's address for him, though she believed he probably already knew where she was already, given her surname. As soon as it sent, he texted her back, a tongue emoji no less and she stared at it until the screen went black.

(AN: If you liked my story, please feel free to review and subscribe.)