Sterile - an Inuyasha Fanfiction

The End of the Beginning

Kagome stared up at the white paint on her ceiling and lamented the memories that taunted her. Her entire body felt sluggish as she forced herself to roll over and slide her legs out from underneath her warm blankets. Her toes dangled above the awaiting floor and her shoulders hunched as she gently placed her feet onto the cold wood, a shudder shaking through her body at the unpleasant feeling. She stood up and stretched, her back popping as she tried to relax her stiff muscles. Familiar aches from her countless battles in the Feudal Era reared their ugly heads as the cold seeped into her bones. With a pained moan she leaned down to rub the pad of her thumb into the side of her right knee, gently working to remove the tension and pain that lingered there. When the pain had eased slightly she grabbed her thick bathrobe off of the back of her chair and quickly escaped into the hot shower that awaited her. The hot water soothed her pains and the steam in the room forced her to take deeper breaths. She stood there and let the water pound down upon her until her skin was bright red and she was starting to become numb to its welcomed heat. With a regretful sigh she turned off the tap and walked back into her room to quickly get ready for the day.

"Breakfast is ready!"

Kagome smiled at her Mom as she made her way to the table where a plate of scrambled eggs and toast awaited her. "Thanks, Mom. You know that you don't need to cook for me every morning, right?" Kagome teased as Nao simply turned around to continue making some more scrambled eggs.

Nao shrugged. "I make breakfast for Sota everyday anyway..." Nao glanced over her shoulder and winked at her daughter. "Plus, just because my little girl is all grown up and going to university doesn't mean that I can't spoil her."

Kagome simply rolled her eyes at her mother's remark before she continued to eat. Sota had just joined them and quickly devoured his own breakfast as he rushed off to high school. Kagome, on the other hand, took her time. She helped Nao clean the dishes and tidy the kitchen before she went upstairs to grab her backpack. She stared disdainfully at the pink color of her blankets before she slide the backpack onto her shoulder and marched out of her room. She was so sick of the young and naive colors that surrounded the small space that she could call her own. All they did was remind her of a different time... A time when she was happy. A time when he was around... A time when she thought that love could overcome anything.

Her soft pink lips pulled down into a frown as memories threatened to invade her once again. She pinched her arm roughly, reminding herself yet again that it did not help to dwell on the past. She shouted goodbye to Nao as she ran out the door and began the half hour trek to university. Honestly, she had been lucky to even be accepted. While she had done better in high school since she wasn't constantly running back to the Feudal Era, she still hadn't done her best. At the time, she hadn't even bothered to apply to university. She was determined to stick around the Shrine until the well finally worked again.

When it had... And she had finally seen him again...

With an aggravated sigh she ran her hand through her hair forcing the memories to subside. She didn't want to think about the past. She didn't want to think about him. She just wanted to forget the pain and move on with her life.

She only had a few classes at university that day, but that didn't make the day any less stressful. She was trying her best to become a nurse. After all that time helping Kaede in the Feudal Era, she wanted to build on top of that knowledge and really be able to help people. She was good at it. She was good at caring for patients and she did especially well in the couple supplementary classes that she had taken on holistic medicine. This was going to be her final semester of classes. Then, all she had to do was the in-hospital training period and she would finally be a full-fledged nurse. She loved school and she loved helping people. But, what she loved most, was that it took her mind off of him. She suffered through class, taking extremely extensive notes, and idly talked with a few people about the work they had been assigned. Within a few hours it was finally lunch time and she escaped to a small cafe that was only a few minutes walk away from her campus.