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Guilty Hero

Chapter 8: Challenge Accepted

“You cannot be serious,” Kagome interrupted, not allowing Miroku to even finish his sentence.  “You want to change my job again?!  How can you possibly do that?  You did not even allow me a full week on this new job before sending me somewhere else!  And I bet that this new task is even further from my primary study field of nursing!”  Little did Miroku know, he chose a dreadful time to bring up the topic of switching jobs to her.  Still miffed about losing her nursing job, she had been training for nearly four days straight to learn about her spiritual powers in order to do a new job that she did not want in the first place.  Her nerves were understandably stretched thin, and she had not patience to handle the prospect of yet another job to train for.

“Please, Miss Kagome, let me finish!” Miroku begged.  “You don’t even know what the job is yet!  It’s closer to your field!  In fact, it is your field!”

This made Kagome pause for a moment, for she had been quite ready to continue yelling at him.  “…Really?” she asked dubiously, still irritated.

“Yes!” He dabbed a bit of sweat from his brow, a little unnerved at the unexpected shouting that had greeted him.  “You will be a nurse, I swear.”

Crossing her arms, she regarded him carefully.  “What is this job, then?  How can I be a nurse yet not work down in the hospital?”

Relieved to see her calming down, Miroku lowered his voice to explain.  “Well…  You remember Inu-Yasha, of course.”

“Yes.  He’s rather difficult to forget.”

“Yes.  And you recall that he was not in great shape, even after his week here.”

“As a nurse, I’m trained to remember things like that.  Let’s see…  Alcoholism was the worst problem, among other things.”

Miroku was amused to see how her countenance had changed when he switched the topic of conversation to Inu-Yasha.  She was already much calmer, and had seemingly forgotten already her initial spout of temper.  Keeping a straight face, he continued.

“Yes, his drinking has been a major issue for several years.  It’s his way of life right now, and Sango and I are gravely concerned over it.  I’m sure that, as his nurse, you noticed the beginning of withdrawal symptoms during his past couple days at the hospital, and they only worsened once he went home.  However, I saw him just a little while ago, and he still had not drunk anything.  That’s a bit odd for one so advanced in alcoholism as he, wouldn’t you say?”

“Absolutely, yes.  He… he really hadn’t?”  Kagome seemed quite surprised, and there was a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth; she was happy to hear the news.

“Nope.  Granted, he informed me that he was counting down the minutes until the Tap opened, so I’m sure his sobriety won’t last much longer.  However, the point is, he went for several days without a drink, and he did it because of you.”

Kagome blinked, taken aback.  “I didn’t do anything.  I just told him to wait a week.  I never expected him to actually do it, though I certainly hoped he would…”

“Ah, but that’s just it.  You told him to do it.  Because you told him, he tried his hardest to obey.” Smiling down at her, for she seemed to be very flustered, he said, “You really made an impression on Inu-Yasha.  For him to be that miserable, and he most certainly was in utter misery, just because a nurse told him not to drink, he must trust you.  Not even Sango or I have that kind of sway with him.”

Swallowing hard and trying to remain professional, Kagome asked, “But what does this have to do with this new job you want to give me?”

“Well…  We would like for you to be Inu-Yasha’s personal nurse.”

Silence greeted his statement.  Growing a bit nervous by her unrelenting stare, Miroku hurriedly tried to explain himself.  “Sango and I have tried every kind of doctor, therapist, and psychologist to help him, and it has been like tossing stones at a brick wall.  Nothing has gotten through to him.  But you, with a simple suggestion, had our dear demon sober for four days.  We think that you might possibly be the one to help him, and…” He faltered, unsure of what else he could say to convince her.  “Please…  Sango and I are desperate.  It’s been seven years.  We’ve forgotten who the old Inu-Yasha was…”

Suddenly, Kagome took a deep breath and stood up straight, her hands balling into fists at her sides.  “I’ll do it,” she replied firmly, determination set in her face.  She had never dreamed she might actually be asked to accept such a task, but it was a task she had wanted badly.  Ever since seeing Inu-Yasha leave the hospital, she had regretted being unable to help him more.  There was a strange tug inside her that had compelled her to stay with him when he left, but she had resisted that urge, common sense keeping her in the hospital.  But now she had a second chance to offer her services to the troubled demon, and she was not about to waste such an opportunity.

“We’ve been working for so long—wait, what?”  Miroku, who had been trying so hard to convince her, almost didn’t catch her first acceptance.

“I said I’ll do it,” she repeated.  “But I have a question.”

“What?”  He was hardly able to contain his joy, and struggled to keep professional.

“Just what exactly does a ‘personal nurse’ do?”

Laughing, although more out of relief than anything else, he offered her his arm and led her from the room.  “Come up to our office, Miss Kagome, we’ll explain everything in full there.  With a bit of luck, we’ll have you to picking up Inu-Yasha at the Cornerstone Tap tonight.”

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“Hit me.”  As Iro obliged the somewhat slurred order, Inu-Yasha watched whiskey fill up the tumbler that had been his companion for the duration of the evening, a small grin on his flushed face.  This had been a most pleasant night spent at the Cornerstone Tap, despite how dreadful the day had been. 

By the time five o’ clocked rolled around and the Tap finally opened, he had been waiting outside the door for over an hour, glaring at passerby who stared and trying to keep his shaking under control.  He was unable to think of anything but the time and his forthcoming drink, and those two thoughts barreled around in his head like a freight train.  In retrospect, he was surprised he had not attacked some of those who had stared, for he had little to no control over his temper, and had been ready to fly out of his skin at the least suggestion.  To make matters worse, he was trembling so badly that he had been unable to light a cigarette, which only added to his troubles.  Thus, with his mind craving a drink, his body falling to pieces, and the prick of a needed nicotine fix on top of it all, he had been about ready to break down the door of the Tap when Iro arrived to save him from his suffering.

The first whiskey he had been given, which disappeared in a matter of seconds, was the sweetest drink he had ever had the pleasure of consuming.  A few more of those, each as sweet as the last, calmed his raging thoughts and slowed his trembling limbs, and he finally was able to have a smoke, completing his state of contentment.  And now, after close to four hours in the bar, he was still smiling, most likely due to the relief at finally achieving drunkenness after so long.

Iro, though slightly unnerved to see the usually morose demon so happy, was glad to see the demon looking better, although his features remained emotionless.  He had been reasonably concerned when he was greeted by a pale, quivering demon standing in front of his bar.  “Feeling better?” he asked gruffly, pulling a rag out from under the counter and wiping the bar off.

“Mm…”  Inu-Yasha slowly nodded, swallowing some of his freshened drink.

“So…  Why were you gone for so long?  I lost business without you, boy.”

“Th’ hospital.  I was… real sick.”  He felt clumsily in his shirt pocket for his cigarettes.

“You were real sick standing in front of my bar this afternoon,” Iro commented, giving Inu-Yasha a withering glare.  “I don’t think that hospital helped much.”

“Nah… That was diff’rent thing, th’ hospital.  But t’day… T’day was day four without any booze.  I didn’ like it that much…”  It seemed that the mere thought of going so long without liquor again made him a bit anxious, and he interrupted lighting his cigarette so he could take a gulp of his whiskey.

“Four days?  Well, quit doing that.  It’s bad for you, and it’s bad for business.”

“Sorry.”

It was then when another customer called Iro away from the bar, so Inu-Yasha was left to his own devices for a bit.  With his cigarette lit, he blew out a cloud of gray smoke and wrapped his hand around his tumbler, slipping into an alcohol-induced daze.  The grin on his face was slowly fading as his thoughts caught up with him; no longer focused on his next drink, he could address the feeling that had been tugging at him since he first entered the bar.

It was a odd feeling, although quite familiar the more he thought on it.  It put a damper on his strangely good mood, and even with four hours of whiskey shots floating around in his head, it took him but a minute to put a name to it: guilt.  But why?

He stared into his whiskey, his expression screwed up in thought.  He hadn’t felt this good in over two weeks.  Hell, he hadn’t enjoyed a drink this much in years.  So why was he feeling guilty?  Was it guilt for allowing himself of moment of pleasure?  Possibly.  He had been miserable for so long that pleasure was a rare occurrence.  But that idea was dashed when an image of the nurse  floated into his wandering thoughts.

Perhaps it was… No.  He shook his head roughly to try and shake the image away, but it didn’t falter.  Why was he thinking about her?  He didn’t think he had anything to feel guilty about concerning that damning nurse.  Well, she did instruct him to wait a week, and he had not quite made that.  But he had never expected himself to, so why was he getting upset over it?

With a soft growl, he polished off his most recent drink.  He shouldn’t bother wasting his time with her; he was never going to see her again.  Iro rejoined him at the bar, and he tapped his empty tumbler on the polished wood to signal for a refill, hoping a bit more whiskey might keep that nurse off the brain.

While waiting for Iro to retrieve a bottle, Inu-Yasha dimly heard the door open and shut in the background, a sign that another patron had entered.  He thought nothing of it; the Tap certainly wasn’t the most populous place in town, but a few businessmen filtered in and out for a drink during the night.  They never bothered him because of his obvious demon heritage, and if there were a few who actually recognized him as the ‘Savior of the City’, he could usually repel their attempts at autographs or conversations by a simple glare.  So when the newcomer came up straight to the bar and took a seat next to him, he stifled a groan and blew out a cloud of cigarette smoke, hoping to intimidate them right off the bat.  With any luck, they would leave before he ever had to look at them.

Iro, giving him a reproachful glare, asked the patron, “And what can I get for you, miss?”

Sipping his drink, Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow when he heard the slightly emphasized ‘miss’; women rarely frequented the Tap.

“Just a club soda, please,” she replied politely, and her voice cut through his whiskey fog like a beam of light.

As nonchalantly as possible, which as incredibly drunk as he was made him quite conspicuous, he peered at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to get a look at her face and confirm what his ears were telling him.  However, with his vision so poor after hours of drinking, he was forced to squint to bring her features into focus.

“Quit staring, boy,” Iro finally demanded, tapping the counter to get the demon’s attention.  “You’ll scare off my customers.

Starting at the sudden voice, Inu-Yasha quickly turned back to his drink, his already ruddy cheeks flushing even darker.  “Wasn’ starin’…” he mumbled, sticking his cigarette back in his mouth.

“Oh, so you don’t remember me?” the woman replied teasingly.  “It’s only been a few days, you know.”

His head came back up and he peered blearily at her, staring openly this time.  “So it is you,” he slurred.  “Kagome…”  It was the first time he ever said her name aloud, and he found that it rolled quite easily off his stuttering tongue.

“Good evening to you too, Inu-Yasha.”  She smiled prettily at him, then nodded her thanks to Iro when he set a club soda in front of her.

Watching with distaste as she took a sip, Inu-Yasha growled, “What’re you doin’ here?”

“Hm?”

He gestured vaguely at the glass in her hand with his cigarette, forcing her to cough and wave the smoke away.  “Why come to a bar an’ not get anything t’ drink?  That’s jus’ fizzy water you got there.  You should mix it with a li’l o’ this.”  He held up his own drink, waving it in front of her to emphasize his point. 

Kagome had to work to keep her surprise hidden;  Inu-Yasha seemed to be more than willing to start a conversation, but she was used to his silent treatment for her at the hospital.  It was difficult to react. 

“That’s an excellent idea,” she began, her smile never wavering.  “But I don’t think so.  I’m driving.  In fact, the reason I’m here is because Miroku mentioned that you might need a ride home this evening.  Since he is busy taking care of Sango, I thought I might offer my services.”

Inu-Yasha’s expression suddenly darkened when she finished her statement, and he scowled, clamping his mouth shut and turning away.  Confused at his mood change, Kagome leaned forward, trying to get his attention again.

“Inu-Yasha, what is it?  Did I say something wrong?”

“I know what yer tryin’ t’ do!” he burst out, slamming his fist on the counter and making his drink spill all over the bar top.  He took no notice of it and barreled on.  “But I’ll have ya know that I did th’ best that I could, dammit!  You don’ have t’ make me feel bad ‘bout it!  Four days’s close enough to a week!!  It still counts, got that?!”

“I-I-I…  Um, what are you talking about?”  She was genuinely confused, and Inu-Yasha started to falter.

“Well…  Aren’t you here t’ yell at me ‘bout not waitin’ a week before I started drinkin’ again?  I bet Miroku told ya all about it, that damn blabbermouth…  He told you I might need a ride home, but that’s jus’ ‘cause he’s too much of a coward to flat-out say it!  ‘Inu-Yasha needs a ride home ‘cause he’ll be too damn drunk t’ make it himse—‘”

“Hey, hey,” Kagome said soothingly, interrupting him before he worked himself up again.  “That really wasn’t what I was planning to do at all.  I promise.  In fact, I wanted to congratulate you on it.  Staying sober for four days was no easy task, was it?  I’m very proud of you.”

Inu-Yasha blinked stupidly at her, his anger disappearing in an instant when he heard those last five words.  After expecting  a defensive reply from her, he was unprepared for words of praise, and couldn’t think of a retort.

“Uh…”  Flushing from embarrassment and at a loss for words, he turned back to the bar and groped for his glass, hoping to avoid the uncomfortable situation with a stiff drink.  However, Iro had taken away the spilled cup and wiped off the bar during their conversation, so Inu-Yasha was now fumbling around in confusion.  “Where is it?” he mumbled, squinting up and down the bar.

“I took it away,” Iro grunted shortly, a little irritated by the demon’s behavior.  “If you’re spilling drinks because you’re throwing a fit, I think you’ve had enough.”

Glaring at him, quite affronted, he growled, “I wasn’ throwin’ a fit!”

Iro turned to Kagome, who was watching the scene with an amused smile on her face.  “Did I hear you correctly when you said that you had come to give him a ride home?”

“You did.”

“Then get him outta here.  Please.”

“Absolutely.”  Setting her barely touched club soda back on the bar, she stood and took Inu-Yasha’s arm, gently tugging it to get his attention.  “Come on.  Let’s get you in bed; you’re starting to fade.”

Sighing in irritation, Inu-Yasha snubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray then pulled out his wallet to pay the bill.  With one final glare at Iro, he stood up, muttering, “I am not fading—ooh.”  He abruptly sat down again when the room did a 360.

Kagome, after waiting a moment so he could get his bearings, tugged his arm once more and he carefully got to his feet, leaning heavily against her as the room dipped and spun again.  “Everything’s spinnin’ round an’ round…” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry,” she replied brightly, leading him to the door.  “A little sleep will take care of that.”

“Mmph.”

They made it to her car without incident, and Kagome carefully eased him into the front seat and buckled his seat belt before climbing in the driver’s side herself.  As she turned on the ignition and pulled out onto the road, she glanced over at her passenger, who was being unusually quiet, and saw that his eyes were closed and his face was tense—no doubt the movement of the car was making him more off-balance than just walking.

Good thing I asked Miroku for directions to his apartment… she thought, turning her attention back to the road.

His apartment was a short trip away from the bar, and they arrived in just a few minutes.  Kagome quickly climbed out and went around to the other side, opening the door and gently shaking the demon.  “Inu-Yasha…” she said softly, “We’re here.  Come on.”

Cracking he eyes open, he peered out at the building, then sighed and slowly got out, accepting Kagome’s support without complaint.  While he did not like accepting help from others, he also did not like the queasy sensation he got when everything in his vision spun like a top, and her aid helped to steady the nauseating motion.

“Now…” she began once they were inside, glancing around with distaste at the dingy lobby.  “Which floor do you live on?”

“Seven,” he muttered.

“Ah.  All right then, where’s the elevator?”

He waved a hand off towards the right, not moving his gaze from the floor.  When Kagome glanced over where he indicated, her heart sank.  The rusted metal doors were blocked off with yellow caution tape wrapped around two construction cones.  “It’s… under construction?”

Nodding slowly, he said, “’Sbeen that way for years…  Landlord’s a damn cheapskate…”

Stifling a groan, Kagome turned towards the staircase.  It was going to be a long trip up.  However, she set her jaw and adjusted her grip around the demon’s waist.  “All right.  Let’s get moving.  You need to be in bed.”

“Mmhm…”

It was a long and exhausting trip for Kagome, half-dragging a man who was a foot taller and several pounds heavier than herself up the stairs.  Inu-Yasha was unable to help much; his depth perception was seriously skewed, and he tripped quite often, emitting a growl every time he almost brought both himself and Kagome down.   There was also the oncoming state of unconsciousness that was lurking in the shadows, threatening to rear its ugly head at any moment. 

Finally, two stories away from their goal, Kagome had to stop at the landing, leaning Inu-Yasha against the railing and sinking to the floor, panting from exhaustion.  She couldn’t recall working so hard physically for quite some time.  Climbing seven flights of stairs was a feat in itself, and with over one hundred pounds of dead weight added to that made the climb even worse.

Surprised when they suddenly stopped, Inu-Yasha blinked and peered around, realizing where they were.  Looking for Kagome, he saw her hazy figure on the ground, so he slid to the floor himself, and found he liked it much better there.

For a few moments they sat quietly, the only sound being Kagome’s labored breathing.  It was strange, she thought while they sat together, how comfortable he was in her presence.  She had never seen him quite like this at the hospital.  Obviously, alcohol played a large part in his demeanor at the moment, but even the constant tension that permeated his body at the hospital was gone.  Now he was resting against the rail with his head leaning back and his eyes shut, looking quite relaxed.

“Hey.”

She jumped at the sudden noise, and soon realized that he was now peering fuzzily at her, waiting patiently for her to notice.  “U-um…  Sorry, what is it?”

Hesitating a moment, he said slowly, “Why did you say that t’ me?”

“Say what to you?”

“At th’ hospital.  After you let me have a smoke.  I went into my room t’ sleep, an’ then you came in an’ said, ‘See, I really do care’.  Why’d you say that?”

Kagome flushed from embarrassment.  “Oh, I-I thought you were asleep by then…”  He was staring relentlessly at her, and she squirmed under his gaze.  “Well…  You had said earlier that I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about you, and that I was just pretending.  I just wanted to show you that I really did care.  You were having a lot of trouble, and I didn’t like seeing you like that.”

“…Oh…”  Silence took control of the conversation for a minute as he thought.  Finally he asked, “Is that why you were there tonight?”

She smiled a little at the thought of her new assignment.  “Partially.  We’ll discuss that at a later time.”

He blinked sleepily at her, then murmured, “Oh,” again and leaned his head back against the rail.

Figuring she had rested long enough and worried that he might fall asleep if they lingered too long, she got to her feet and walked over, taking his hand and giving it a tug.  “Come on.  Two flights to go, and then you’ll be home.”

Cracking one eye open, he peered at her, then mumbled, “I’ll jus’ stay here…”

Her smile broadening, she strengthened her pull on his arm.  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.  Whoever lives on this floor will open their door tomorrow and find a sleeping demon on their doorstep; they might not take kindly to that.”

He was able to drag both eyes open at that thought.  “Th’ old hag’s vicious with her cane…” he growled, laboriously climbing to his feet.  “I’ve got scars from th’ last time that happened…”

Raising an eyebrow, she decided not to pursue the matter, and instead concentrated on getting him up the last two flights of stairs.  The last leg seemed to take twice as long as the first, but at last they arrived at Inu-Yasha’s door.  Sighing in relief, she brought him inside.

“Finally…” he said, attempting to pull away from her as they walked by the sofa.

“Hey, hey, where are you going?” she asked, holding firm.

Looking at her with mild surprise, he replied slowly, “Uh… th’ couch?  ‘Swhere I always sleep.”

“Well, not tonight.  Sleeping on a bed is much healthier.  It gives you a more restful sleep, which is just what you need.”

“It’s farther away…” he moaned as she pushed him onward. 

The trip did take a little longer, for he refused to tell her which door led to his bedroom, so she had to open each door.  After admiring the décor of his bathroom and a closet, she finally came across his bedroom.  “Here we go.  Come on.”

He did not need to be told twice.  Breaking away from her, he took two steps then fell face-first onto his bed, not to move again until the next day.  Smiling gently at his haphazard way, Kagome went and retrieved a thin blanket from the closet she had discovered in her earlier pursuits.  Tucking it in around him, she quietly shut the door behind herself, then went back into the living room.

A great sigh escaped her now that her patient was safely asleep in another room.  She had been incredibly nervous on her way to the Cornerstone Tap; it was her first task as Inu-Yasha’s personal nurse, and she was unsure of how well she could handle it.  Dealing with drunkards was not something she had ever had to do, but Miroku seemed to think she could handle Inu-Yasha just fine.  It turned out she could, but doubt still lingered.

He was a half-demon, with a short fuse, a strong temper, and an even stronger will.  Just because this first night went smoothly did not mean anything for later times.  Also, she had no official training as a personal nurse.  Miroku did not consider that an issue, but she was concerned that she may make a mistake with Inu-Yasha, and with one so deep in addiction as he, a mistake could be fatal.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up straight, setting her jaw.  “Get a hold of yourself, Kagome,” she told herself sternly.  “This was just the opportunity you wanted.  Lack of confidence will get you nowhere.  Just do what you feel is best for Inu-Yasha, and things will turn out just fine.”

Nodding firmly, she strode out of the apartment, eager to get home and put together her next plan of action.  This patient was a tough one, and it was going to take careful planning to come up with the best course for the unsuspecting demon, sleeping soundly in the next room.

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Thank you for reading!  I know there wasn’t much of Sango and Miroku in this chapter, but not to worry, there will be the next time.  Anyway, please leave a review, I would love to know what you think.