A/N: To all those readers of my other fanfics (The Roar of Silence, Crazy Stupid Love, The Kazehime's Song and Saying Goodbye)

I apologize, deeply and truly, for not continuing them.

The stories apparently have gone completely out of control and hence, they will be in for some major editing. Also, the characters do not seem to have the depth that I wanted.

The storyline per se will not change, though a couple of scenes might. I cannot make a promise as to when they will be updated completely but I can assure you that the work has already begun.

Life can be a b***h sometimes, and the past year has been a true sense of hell. But 2015 is a new year, with new beginnings and a new fanfic and so I hope you guys will like it.

An I promise all of you faithful readers that this story will not be abandoned since this time, I had the foresight of writing three chapters in advance. It will be a romantic drama with toppings of the usual action and adventure...after all, adventure is unavoidable when our favourite couple is concerned, right?

Updates will be slower, once a month I guess. But chapters will be long. :)

Summary: Kagome was injured badly in an accident, leaving her blind and cripple. Can Dr. Inuyasha Takahashi make this spunky girl come back on her feet again? And can she enjoy the sights and sounds of the world again? InuXKag.

ONE SMALL STEP—AN INUYASHA FANFIC

CHAPTER 01: THE VICTIM

There were lights...

Sounds...of metal ripping, bone crunching, voices screaming...

There was a fire...there was blood...there was something crushing her legs...

She couldn't see her hands, she couldn't feel her legs...

She felt her mouth form an 'o', but she couldn't hear herself scream...

Then she felt the velvety nothingness embrace her, and she gladly gave up herself to the oblivion.

It was two in the night.

There were few places in the world where one can never realize the passage of time—train stations, airports, highways.

And the trauma centre of a hospital.

Whatever the clock might say, these places were always bustling with people.

"Patient incoming! Patient incoming!" a nurse screamed, wheeling a stretcher to the rear end of the trauma centre where the more severe cases were treated.

"Accident at the highway...possible fracture of both legs, right arm. Eyes hit with shrapnel..."

"Get the doctors immediately! This is no case for an intern or a resident!"

A nurse rushed upstairs as the P.A. system began blaring out the announcement.

"Trauma incharge, please come to the trauma centre...Trauma incharge—"

Four doctors were clustered around one table in the doctor's refreshment room on the first floor when they heard the announcement.

"Trauma incharge at this hour? Must be a really banged-up case," one of them muttered. He had brownish-black hair with deep sapphire eyes, an easy handsome face and smiling lips. He was presently leaning back as much as the chair allowed him to, sighing on hearing the announcement's second reiteration.

"I better go," he sighed, standing up.

"Are you sure, Miroku? After two consecutive surgeries, can you hold up?" asked the woman sitting next to him. She was tall and slender with long brown hair, presently held up in a high ponytail so that it wouldn't come in the way of work. She had brown eyes with a light-pink eyeshadow, a determined yet soft face with a poise that exuded both confidence and compassion.

"Can't help it Sango," Miroku sighed again, reaching for the white coat hanging on the hook and pulling it over himself.

"Stop sweating it, I'll go. My shift will start in fifteen minutes anyway," interjected another man, standing up and grabbing his coat and stethoscope. He was tall and well-built with deep amber eyes and a wealth of silver hair framing his face.

"You sure, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, his eyebrow perked up. Clearly, he didn't expect such thoughtfulness from the silver-haired man.

"Let's just say that you would owe me a huge favour," he smirked before leaving the room.

Miroku looked at the retreating figure with a confused frown on his face.

"Was I on the losing side here?" he asked to no one in particular as two voices, on male and another female, giggled away to glory.

The nurse who headed the trauma centre for the night bumped into Inuyasha when he was about to climb down the steps.

"Dr. Takahashi!" she exclaimed with genuine relief.

"Yes, Dr. Miroku Ryugamine wouldn't be handling this case...he's a bit tired. Care to brief me a bit?" said Inuyasha, professionalism seeping into his voice.

"Accident victim with both legs fractured along with her right arm, possible shrapnel injury to her eyes. We do not know of any spinal or internal injuries at the moment, though. But I believe the victim is not moving anywhere anytime soon," the nurse replied, looking a bit queasy.

"That bad?" Inuyasha whistled in a low voice.

The nurse shivered yet again, making his eyes harden. She was the most experienced nurse in the hospital and if the sight of the victim gave her the jitters, then the case was seriously a grave one.

"Blood loss?" he prompted.

"Very. I have already sent her blood samples for prelim analysis—so that we can start transfusion at a moment's notice if need be," she replied, her maternal face regaining the lost composure. The duo had reached the trauma centre, and already Inuyasha figured where the victim was—only one bed in the entire 50-bed ward was crowded by all the people on duty.

"Time for work," said Inuyasha, striding purposefully towards the bed.

After snapping at the people to get them return to their respective duties, he barked orders to the nurses.

"IV drip!"

"Coming!"

It was then he looked fully at the patient.

She looked young, no older than himself. Her long black hair framed her pale face like stormy clouds, her lips looking whitish due to lack of blood. She wasn't that anorexic thin that most women tend to be her age—rather she looked as if she took care of herself in a healthy way. Her legs, as the nurse had said, were bloodied and shattered, so was her right arm. Blood flowed from her eyes and nose—not a good sign. He got the nurses to clean up the victim—patient—before snatching up a phone to call the doctor's refreshment room. This woman needed a trip to the operation theatre.

And the gods above certainly didn't want Miroku to relax.

"Accident victim. Operation theatre. Prep it up, Miroku—meet you in five." He hung before Miroku could say anything.

After the nurses changed her clothes from blood-soaked white gown into a hospital issued overall, Inuyasha noticed that the blood was beginning to soak through the hastily wrapped bandages.

"To the operation theatre, NOW!" he barked.

The intern, who was on duty with him, gave him the patient file along with the prelim blood analysis.

"Good work, Kohaku," he muttered before following the stretcher.

Name: Kagome Higurashi

Age: 24 years

Blood Group: B+

Family: Aiko Higurashi (mother), Souta Higurashi (brother), Kikyo Higurashi (sister)

Inuyasha lifted his head up from the file to find that he was already at the Operation Theatre.

"Hey Kohaku!" he called at the intern as he was about to enter the OT.

"This girl's family, have they been informed?" he asked, waving the file.

Kohaku looked at the file upside down before answering.

"Aiko and Souta Higurashi were not available, but I believe Ayame got through Kikyo. She should be on her way as we speak," he answered slowly.

"Go down and wait for this Kikyo...inform her about the situation," Inuyasha grunted in reply.

Kohaku looked slightly crestfallen—he had been hoping to be allowed into the OT as an observer.

Inuyasha looked at the boy's disappointed face before adding, "You assisted Miroku throughout the day—too much in too little time will make your head spin," he said gently before disappearing inside.

He felt a little bad on not letting him observe the operation but he knew what it was like when the mind refused to process anything on one sudden random moment.

He had seen his brother, an excellent eye-surgeon of international repute, be reduced to a whimpering blob of human flesh two years ago. And how his wife Kagura and daughter Rin try to bring him to normalcy day in, day out.

In the medical field, it was easy to overwork yourself if you were passionate about your work. Kohaku was his protégé, and he treated the young man like his own kid brother. And he was shaping up nicely.

The operation had already started by the time he was in his scrubs. He helped Miroku fix up Kagome Higurashi's legs and her right arm.

After leaving the final clean-up to the nurses and senior residents, the two doctors exited the OT only to find a woman, looking strikingly similar to the patient inside, ram into them with tear-streaked face and sad, pained eyes.

"Miss Kikyo Higurashi, I presume?" said Inuyasha, making way to the metallic visitor's chairs and sitting down. Kikyo Higurashi followed suit.

Inuyasha was slightly surprised to see another man sit next to her, leaving Miroku to sit on the chair opposite to them across the passage. He was taller than himself, with long black hair and piercing violet eyes set in a fair, smooth face.

"I am Naraku Yagami, Kikyo Higurashi's fiancé," he said in a manner of introduction. It was then Inuyasha noticed his arm around Kikyo's shaking shoulders, comforting her.

"It was a celebratory dinner in the Grand Ballroom, thrown by the Akatsuki Art Gallery. We," Kikyo motioned themselves before continuing. "We too were invited along with Kagome but Naraku had an important case in the court today, so he got late. Kagome went without me..."

Kikyo dissolved into tears again.

Inuyasha was at a loss as to what to do; he could never grasp the whims and mannerisms of the feminine species like Miroku could.

Thankfully, the aforementioned man came to his rescue.

"Kagome Higurashi wasn't drunk...the blood tests came out clean. And as far as the witnesses say, the offending vehicle jumped the red light, not her," said Miroku gently.

Naraku drunk in the information.

"Thank you...Doctor..?" he began uncertainly.

"Ryugamine. Miroku Ryugamine," Miroku supplied.

"Thank you, Dr. Ryugamine. That information will surely help us to prosecute the offender when the time comes," Naraku replied.

"But Doctor...?" Kikyo began.

"Takahashi." Inuyasha interjected.

"Dr. Takahashi, what about my sister? How is she? The intern downstairs told me a lot but you tell me just one thing...will she be okay? Will she...will she be normal again?" Kikyo asked tearfully.

Inuyasha sighed before beginning his monologue. Unlike other doctors, he hated giving false hope. Instead, he preferred blunt truth as he believed that sooner the patient knew, the better he would adjust with his new reality.

"Her both legs have been shattered badly, along with her left arm. Miroku patched her up, but that's just temporary—so she's not walking anytime soon. When her legs do get better, she would need at least six months of therapy before she can walk on her own. So we can comfortably say that marathons are out of her to-do list for the next two years. Her left arm, fractured yes but it is a clean break which we patched up with plates. I dare say she will be swinging her left arm within three months. But..."

Inuyasha faltered slightly.

"Her eyes are a different story. The broken glass were embedded in both her eyeballs, so she is blind at the moment. The good news is that her retina was saved, so her blindness is not the bad news..."

Inuyasha stopped again, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Her optic nerves have been damaged badly...we need to operate to fix that up. But she is so weak now, operation would mean murder."

Kikyo looked up at him, her eyes red from crying.

"Then what?" she whispered, as if afraid of the answer.

"She would need at least seven months to be operation ready," said Inuyasha in a low voice, feeling suddenly helpless.

At times like this, he cursed his profession.

Kikyo gave a loud wail, collapsing on Naraku's arms.

Even Naraku looked shaken at Inuyasha's last words.

"Is there no other way?" he asked quietly.

Inuyasha shook his head, looking away.

Naraku gave a tired laugh.

"Fate is cruel, isn't it?" he said.

"For a painter to lose sight, nothing could be more brutal, can it?"

Six hours later, Inuyasha woke up with a start. It was ten-thirty in the morning, the sun streaming happily through the open window. He got up, wincing slightly as his neck stung in discomfort. He had fallen asleep on the couch in the refreshment room, hardly a comfortable place.

He shuffled to the fridge and drank milk directly from the tetrapack before crunching a couple of cookies from the jar on the shelf. After washing his face, combing his hair into a more tamed look, adjusting his shirt and throwing the coat over himself, he stepped out, wondering what to do.

Miroku and Sango had gone home after Miroku wrapped up his discussion with Kikyo and her fiancé regarding the future course of action.

He shuffled downstairs to the reception, thinking of taking the day-off when he bumped into the hospital's resident physical therapist.

"Kouga? You still here?" he asked, surprised. He thought that the wiry, black-haired man had left when he was busy with the operation.

"Yeah, I was waiting for Ayame's shift to end," he answered gruffly. The two men rarely saw eye-to-eye with each other, yet held a grudging respect for the other. Inuyasha knew Kouga was the best in his field and the latter knew that Inuyasha was the orthopaedic in the city. Their lines of work often forced them to work together, but that didn't mean they were chummy.

"I heard about the new patient, bad, is it?" Kouga added.

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted in reply.

Before they could talk anymore, the bubbly receptionist came up to them, smiling.

"Good morning Kouga!" said Ayame brightly.

Kouga's face lost it's animosity as his blue eyes began to sparkle at the sight of his red-headed girlfriend.

"'Morning, Ayame. Home now, shall we? I am already halfway to dreamland," he said, snaking his arm around her waist.

Ayame giggled.

"Means I drive the car...don't wanna end up as a patient in my workplace," she said, giving his arm a playful punch.

Inuyasha looked at their banter with slight disinterest—what was it with people pairing off right and left? Miroku's obvious crush on Sango, Ayame and Kouga...even that girl's sister came with her fiancé.

Why did the planet suddenly start to make way for marriage?

He shrugged before asking her with as much professionalism he could muster in a few words.

"Can I get a day off?" he asked.

Ayame stopped mock-punching Kouga as she lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"I don't think so, Inuyasha. You know our hospital is running low on full-time doctors, and we have a bunch of orthopaedic cases, two being accidental. You know you are going to handle Miss Higurashi's case, right?" she answered thoughtfully.

Inuyasha looked slightly taken aback at the new information.

"Why?" he asked dumbly.

"You are the only full-time orthopaedic here at Seven Hills," said Ayame. "Especially her sister requested us to put you in-charge of the case. You must have impressed them a ton."

Inuyasha couldn't recall any instance in that regard.

He shrugged again.

"Got it, looks like I am not going on a long vacation in the near future," he sighed before walking up to the refreshment room. He had to look through her reports, her old medical record which the Admin Department must have dug up before visiting her in person. He couldn't help but give a huge yawn.

He was in for a busy day today.

"Vacation?" Kouga smirked. "You don't have anyone to go to a vacation with, mutt!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted back before leaving the pair in the bustling lobby, the man huffing while the woman began to pull him towards the exit.

Three hours later, Inuyasha was on the sixth floor. It was the Long-Term Residence section, where patients who had to remain admitted for more than three months were put up. The floor looked more like a studio apartment corridor, with cheerful homely lighting, cream walls and polished wooden doors. He spotted two kids running around—must be relatives of some patient.

Room 604: Kagome Higurashi

Doctor in-charge: Dr. Inuyasha Takahashi

He had taken a bath in the tiny tin can that passed as the bathroom in the refreshment room before donning a pair beige flannel trousers and a dark red t-shirt. After a late breakfast of two ham-and-cheese sandwiches with three cups of coffee, he felt sufficiently alert to plunge into Kagome's case.

Apart from the occasional cold and fever, she was never down with fever in her life. She was not a regular drinker, nor a smoker. Clearly, being raised at a shrine left its impact in her lifestyle. She was studying art at the Tokyo University, apart from teaching part-time in the local school.

A clean, healthy life.

Certainly not someone who deserved to be in such an accident.

But then, neither did Sesshomaru deserve what he was going through. And Kagura and Rin certainly didn't deserve any of that.

He shook his head fiercely, trying to prevent his mind from walking that lane.

He opened the door softly.

Unlike the other cabins downstairs, the sixth-floor rooms were decorated in a more homely manner. The walls were a warm yellow, with white curtains fluttering in the breeze.

A brown couch with two armchairs and a coffee table sat next to the door. A fridge was on the far corner of the room, along with a microwave and a gas oven. A door led to another room which had accommodation facilities for the relatives wishing to stay over. Next to that was the door to the toilet.

And in the centre of the room lay Kagome.

The machines attached to her beeped gently, monitoring her vitals. The IV dripped on steadily.

The casts gleamed white, imparting an unrealistic look to her form. Her body was immobile as both her legs were held in place with suspenders.

A white bandage went around her eyes, her billowing black hair providing a sharp contrast. She was breathing normally. It seemed to be a good sign.

Inuyasha closed the door gently behind him, to not disturb the tranquil environment of the room.

"I am awake," she said softly, making him jump.

A small smile lifted her full pale lips.

"Good afternoon, Miss Higurashi," he said, walking upto her.

"You must be Dr. Takahashi the nurses told me about," she said in that same soft voice.

He nodded before realising that she couldn't see.

She gave a tiny laugh. The tinkling sound made him feel giddy.

"I supposed you were nodding," she said, amused.

"Yeah," he replied sheepishly, sitting down on the chair next to her bed.

"Is black really a colour, Dr. Takahashi?" she asked dreamily.

The question took him by surprise.

"The people in the clothes stores do think that way," he replied thoughtfully.

She shuffled a little, trying to get comfortable.

"Then why is it that when you can see nothing, you see black?"

Inuyasha had no answer.

"That intern...Kohaku Ayakashi...he said that this," she motioned her body with her left hand.

"This condition is not permament, is that true?"

Inuyasha began to nod before catching himself in time.

"Yes...to regain your sight, we need to do an operation. But to get ready for that, you need to get back your strength. Six months waiting, at least."

Kagome exhaled slowly.

"That long?" she asked sadly.

"Yes. And call me Inuyasha, Dr. Takahashi sounds too formal." Inuyasha said, in an attempt to spring her up.

It was a tiny success as the girl gave him a small grin.

"You can call me Kagome, everyone does that. Except Hojo-kun, that is," she said in that same soft voice.

"Hojo-kun?" Inuyasha asked, surprised despite himself.

"A friend from high-school. He still insists on calling me Higurashi, though it sounds strange. An old-school guy...with all his honorifics in place." She giggled, the sound making him smile again.

"You are a strong woman, Kagome. Many break vases on their first day," he said, awe colouring his voice slightly.

She smiled, lifting her right hand.

"Can't break vases when I can't see or walk, can I?" she said. But he could hear the underlying sadness in her voice.

"Seven Hills is the best place to be," said Inuyasha proudly. "We will have you running like Usain Bolt, just you wait!"

That brought a light blush on her cheeks.

Inuyasha began to take the readings and check her blood pressure. Next, he called the hospital canteen to deliver lunch up to her room.

"So Inuyasha, certainly you have something interesting to do on a Friday apart from chatting with an immobile accident victim?" she asked lightly.

"Naah...am not much of a ladies man, nor a party guy. I would have probably crashed into my pad if I had gone home, or would have rented a couple of DVDs. But since I am in-charge of your case, I have to camp in the hospital for at least a week until you get eased into your treatment," he replied as he went through her vitals on the patient chart.

"No girlfriend?" she asked.

"Nope," he answered. Just then, the canteen delivery girl came in with lunch—chicken soup with french fries and fried mozzarella sticks.

"Dr. Ayakashi's orders," the girl said hurriedly when he glared at her.

That Sango...he thought. How could such bland food cheer someone up?

"Chicken soup?" said Kagome from her bed.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied.

To his surprise, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"The very thing I wanted. Thanks, Inuyasha!"

"Not me," he replied, still dazed. "Thank Sango, our nutritionist."

Inuyasha pushed the switch to make the bed raise itself so that Kagome was in an upright position.

"You okay?" he asked.

Kagome nodded slowly.

He placed her lunch on the dining tray and pushed it towards her.

"Nothing hits the spot like chicken soup...and there's french fries too?" She certainly sounded like one happy bunny.

"Mozzarella sticks as well," he added, bemused.

She was truly a remarkable, unpredictable woman.

Using her left hand, she slowly spooned the soup. Inuyasha started forward in an attempt to help her when a faint trembling of her lips stopped him in his tracks.

She wanted to do it herself. She had to do it herself.

He sat back, watching her.

Her skin was creamy and flawless, and must have been radiant before her accident. Her hair fell loosely down her back.

He frowned—those nurses should have plaited it. Why didn't he notice it before?

She was slim and healthy, her figure proportionate, her posture proud.

He realised it must have been devastating for her to stay strapped down in the hospital while her body screamed out her free spirit. He prayed to the heavens that she may find strength to fight through and emerge victorious.

After an hour of light conversation. Inuyasha stood up.

"You leaving?" Kagome asked, a bit sadly.

Inuyasha couldn't help but blush at her tone, before reprimanding himself at this childish behaviour.

"Yeah, I am in charge so gotta make the rounds. You need to take rest—after all, you did get seriously banged-up mere twelve hours ago," he answered.

She nodded slowly, smiling.

"You will come again?" she asked hopefully.

"After I finish my rounds," he replied before he could stop himself.

Why was he so...so...

But her happy smile made him grin as well.

"Keh!" he smirked, closing the door softly behind him.

As he walked down the steps, the nurses were surprised to see a sudden spring in the step of the usually grumpy and gruff Dr. Inuyasha Takahashi.