Tangerine Dreams

by velvet_sometimes

Summary:

She laughed and it bubbled up from deep within her, soft and full and bittersweet. Like tangerines. Nominated in the Dokuga Awards for 'Best Drama'.

Notes:

I would like to answer some questions asked by Melantao! The condition Kagome has is Cushings. Cushing's syndrome occurs when your body is exposed to high levels of the hormone cortisol for a long time. The most common cause of Cushing's syndrome, sometimes called hypercortisolism, is the use of oral corticosteroid medication. The condition can also occur when your body makes too much cortisol. Symptoms of this include, but are not limited to: Fatigue, Muscle weakness, Depression, anxiety and irritability, Loss of emotional control, Cognitive difficulties, New or worsened high blood pressure, Glucose intolerance that may lead to diabetes, Headache, Bone loss, leading to fractures over time, Pink or purple stretch marks (striae) on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, breasts and arms, Thinning, fragile skin that bruises easily, and Slow healing of cuts, insect bites and infections.

This story is based (partly) on the real life experiences of a good friend of mine, Tangerine Dream, who's a lot braver than I am. You inspire me.

Chapter 1

Symptoms

Just one MRI of many. Was it sad that she was getting used to this? Going to the hospital, stripping down to her skivvies, and sitting in a tube for 45 minutes to check for tumors or various other things that might possibly be wrong with her.

She sincerely hoped the male nurse placing the padding around her head played for the other team, because her current attire left little to the imagination.

As the little bed slid in and the machine started to thunk and buzz, she thought on the irony of her current situation.

Kagome, the Shikon priestess, savior of the world more than 500 years in the past, was stuck worrying over her health just like everyone else. It was disheartening; she always thought it would be something… grander, that swept her feet out from under her. But really, if the jewel of four souls couldn't kill her, then isn't it appropriate that it be something like this?

When her family first suggested that something might be wrong, she firmly refused to go to the hospital. She just couldn't accept that she could fall prey to some sort of human disease. After all that had happened… or, that she thought had happened; sometimes she forgot her own humanity.