Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. Copyright goes to Rumiko Takahashi. I do not make money from this.
Author Note: While I have never had any cancer - breast or anything else, I am currently having to help my step-mother, who has been in my life for more than 14 years, has stage 3 ovarian cancer. Although breast cancer is serious and any cancer is too, there are more solutions for breast cancer than any other, especially for women. Ovarian cancer does not have strong remedy. When a woman gets to stage 3 ovarian, while ACA says 50%, the doctors, especially ones from St. Louis Barnes Jewish (one of the top in the country), it is 35% success rate. For those who believe in any type of religion, please help pray for my stepmom's recovery. Her name is Donna. She is the mother I wish I had and is a wonderful woman. In ealry 2009 before her ovarian cancer diagnosis, she had 3 back surgeries. Her back is fused all the way up. Fuse - basically her back has metal pins all the way up to support her to stand. In 2006, we lost my stepbrother (her oldest), and in 2007, she lost both of her parents (who were in their late 70s abd 80s). I appreciate your thoughts and prayers more than anything in the world.
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Kagome slumped down against the wide of the well. The wood of it was so old that she could feel the grains trying to insert splinters in her back. Her atrocious bag sat by her side, just as slumped as she was.
'How did it become so difficult to live?' she wondered morosely.
Her mother had informed her when she had returned from the Feudal era that she had an appointment with her gynocologist. It was a wonder how her mother just came up with such things, especially when her trips to the past were frequent and unpredicatable in how long she might stay.
She was still a virgin. Even though she was eighteen, InuYasha somehow had never even made an attempt to have sex with her. She was really frustrated - sexually frustrated.
She had strained each day for three years through her own time, and only thought about getting back to InuYasha. When she had arrived, she was hoping he would jump her bones so hard, that it would be pleasantly painful. She did not relish pain, but she really had dreamt of the silver-haired half demon for three years in a way that left her wet every night.
While men had their needs, women did too, and Kagome was definitely included in that concept. To Kagome, whomever had thought that men only had needs was a dumbass.
The raven-haired woman from the future loved InuYasha. She loved him even when he was gruff and rude. Through the journey to complete the Shikon no Tama and to defeat Naraku, she had gone through a lot of things with him. Of course, Kikyo had been a real cockblock, but it was understandable. The woman had come back to a semi- alive state, and revived some of the old feelings that InuYasha once had for the priestess.
When Kagome came back to the Feudal Era, everyone was so happy to see her, including InuYasha. While it was not mentioned, most in the village of Edo assumed that Kagome and InuYasha would wed soon. However, that 'soon' become months, and Kagome was frustrated.
It was funny that she had resorted to talking to Sesshoumaru a couple times a week just to do something interesting, especially when InuYasha was busy going to other villages to exterminate rogue demons. Sesshoumaru once mentioned that InuYasha smelled like another woman.
The first time that the demon lord mentioned that, the seed of doubt planted itself into Kagome's head even deeper than the one driven within by his rendezvous in the past with Kikyo. She was lucky enough Sesshoumaru tolerated her presence. She had only called him 'big brother' one time, and his glare was enough to change her decision to call him that title ever again. Once she had started calling him something more respectful during his visits with Rin, he was far more approachable.
Talking with him was a real learning experience. He did not answer all of her questions, and usually if she asked, he never answered. It took effort. He would open up when the conversation had an interesting topic. It did not always have to revolve around battle, but Kagome found that he did like talking about history and philosophy.
It was far more educational to speak to him than InuYasha. Although the half dog demon had a nice past, he had a lot of draw backs. He could not read. Well, he could, but very simple things. He had no formal training with a sword. InuYasha only knew how to fight with his hands and the sword he painstakingly had to learn to wield by himself. While InuYasha had an innate sense of survival, because he had not even committed himself fully to Kagome through human marriage or even a demon mating ceremony, it was hard to know if he could truly support a family. Even Sesshoumaru once asked Kagome about the subject and she had no answer to give the demon lord.
As Kagome sat forlornly by the well in her original time, she wondered how she was going to break the news of her current predicament. A few days after her appointment with the gynocologist, the doctor called her house to ask her to come in. Kagome thought it was strange to be called in because usually the doctor or a nurse would call to say if she had some illness. Even though it drew her curiosity, she went in to see the doctor.
After she had settled into the comfortable black leather chair, the doctor laid the news down as plain as day. It was like she had gotten a fast acting vaccination that numbed her whole system.
Cancer. It was cancer that she had and not just any; it was breast cancer.
'I am eighteen years old! How can I have breast cancer?' Kagome screamed in her mind, and hoped some Shinto god or goddess heard it.
She had to suffer through trying to live two lives, having the responsibility of a powerful bauble, and torture of trying to go through the journey to replace such item. The Shikon no tama was like a cancer in itself.
Kagome chuckled bitterly to herself on how the long gone curse jewel was like her physical ailment. Her family did not have the financial means to put her through surgery and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy itself took months and in the beginning it was harsh. Kagome understood from talking to her physician, the chemicals were brutal on the human body. It took a cocktail consituting of several intensely toxic mixtures that were flushed through the system and were suppose to wipe out the cancerous cells.
In the midst of the treatments, her immunity system would be wiped out, leaving her vulnerable to anything out there that could invade her immune system. If her family even had the means to do this, she would not have the stamina, nor immune system to face the Feudal Era. There were far more diseases in the past that she was exposed to. Her vaccinations throughout her life kept her from contracting those diseases.
'How am I going to tell them?' she wondered as she fingered the strap of her horrendous looking satchel.
Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could not be a coward. She promised to return and no disease would prevent her from failing to fulfill her vow. With a sigh, she slowly opened her eyes and gather her strength to face her friends. After she stood, she grabbed her bag and then vaulted herself over the dilapidated side of the well.
As she fell into the past and the blue light welcomed her, she prepared herself mentally on how she would explain her predicament.