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Inuyasha | Rhapsody in Eight Movements
Title: Rhapsody in Eight Movements
Fandom: Inuyasha
Universe: Alternate (Modern day Japan)
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Rating: T
Warning(s): Mentions of death, the treatment of mental illnesses
Summary: When a mysterious man washes ashore on Halloween night, it becomes a race against time to uncover his identity – and the circumstances that left him there.
Links: DW | FF.net | AO3
What can I say? Shit just got real.
The rubber has met the road. The chickens have come home to roost. Heads have rolled. Pick your favorite cliche, because things have just gotten dead serious in this case. The leak to the press has forced the hospital administration into action - and here we see how that's going to affect our mystery patient. Unfortunately, the consequences are reverberating beyond just him.
Hospital administration, rather by definition, doesn't tend to move very quickly, or yield very easily. This meeting, with the entire medical team and, indeed, anyone who's come into contact with the patient at all, should signal the level of importance now leveled on this case. Such a conference would be a nightmare to arrange, much less so quickly, so everybody in that room is already feeling pretty nervous.
I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed writing from the hardass hospital administrator's POV. He certainly pulls no punches when it comes to rectifying the mistakes of his staff. Blaming the paramedics for the leak was the easiest, most obvious choice, if only because most paramedics are third-party contractors rather than actual employees of the hospital. They had the least to lose in letting this info slip, but not even their adamant denials could save their jobs. Losing a lucrative contract for an ambulance company has to be hard, especially for such a controversial reason.
For those of you crossing possibilities off your lists, we have another identified character in this chapter: Miroku's fellow paramedic is Inuyasha. I'm not sure if this was at all surprising for any of you, given the two characters' closeness in canon, and Inuyasha's impatience with Miroku's continuous pursuit of women. Speaking of which, he and Sango trade a couple of barbs here, revealing that everyone is still on edge, even a couple of weeks after the initial incident.
Rin is also a new character, one of the junior nurses in the intensive care unit who cared for our victim during his ICU stay. I thought this fit in rather well with her canon characterization - nurturing, yet somewhat fearless of the big baddies. Perhaps that was just childish innocence, but some people manage to retain such a trait well into adulthood - and being able to advocate is an important bit of an ICU nurse's job.
Our hospital administrator is heretofore unnamed, though perhaps his interactions with the other characters give away his identity :)
The only bit of outside research I did for this chapter was look up Japanese honorifics so I wouldn't embarrass myself horribly with the dialogue :P I probably made a mistake anyway, moving away from the familiar ones from canon, but here's where I found the ones I used.
Further scrutiny is about to be placed on our mystery man - all that's left is to find out if he can handle it, or if it will only drive him further within himself...
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It means I'm (probably) right about the mystery man, too. What still doesn't fit then is his canon relation to Inuyasha - unless Inuyasha doesn't know. They'd have to look different enough for it not to be obvious, so I'm guessing Inu looks human here.
I was ready to assign the role of the hospital administrator to Naraku, but his later interaction with Rin kinda negates that. Or am I missing something here?
His interactions with the staff would fit more to Sesshoumaru, but that would leave me short one mystery man. Hmmm...
But since only Naraku and Sesshoumaru are left on your list on AO3, we're rather short of options. So maybe you HAVE brought in characters from canon that you haven't listed, which would be mean. :P
I was wrong about my guess for Rin, though. When I first read her name in the character list, I thought she'd be related to Sesshoumaru the way she is in canon. With her being a nurse, that option is out...
Btw, I really don't think that Inu or Miroku were the ones who leaked the story to the press, so I feel rather sorry for them now. Makes me wonder to which lengths Miroku would go to stay in contact with Sango, though that's probably not a topic for this story. :D
And I still haven't been able to form a theory about what landed the patient in the ocean. Though with the clothes he wore when he was found and the things he has drawn, I'd assume he's a concert pianist? If somebody in the story had the same thought process, this might be a way of identifying him.
Last question: Is there a specific reason for the story to be set in 2005 or was it just to have a date? (I've actually wondered since chapter 3, but forgot to ask before ^^)
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So maybe you HAVE brought in characters from canon that you haven't listed, which would be mean. :P
There are characters in this fic not on that list, but nobody important enough to be named, if that makes any sense...
I was wrong about my guess for Rin, though. When I first read her name in the character list, I thought she'd be related to Sesshoumaru the way she is in canon. With her being a nurse, that option is out...
Is it? :)
Btw, I really don't think that Inu or Miroku were the ones who leaked the story to the press, so I feel rather sorry for them now. Makes me wonder to which lengths Miroku would go to stay in contact with Sango, though that's probably not a topic for this story. :D
LOL!! One of the first things
And I still haven't been able to form a theory about what landed the patient in the ocean. Though with the clothes he wore when he was found and the things he has drawn, I'd assume he's a concert pianist? If somebody in the story had the same thought process, this might be a way of identifying him.
You're on the right track... =) [I know, finally, right? LOL - I think you'll like today's update.]
Last question: Is there a specific reason for the story to be set in 2005 or was it just to have a date?
It's actually just a coincidence, but there sort of is? I know that doesn't make any sense, but I shall reveal all in the notes for the final chapter, never fear! :P
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Then that DOES only leave Naraku for the administrator role, who I actually thought would be the one who was responsible for the dive.
But who knows what kinds of sinister plans a hospital admin could come up with? If he does turn out to play both roles, I'll be really interested in his reasons and if maybe HE's the one who told the paper (that would be so screwed up, but I bet someone with canon Naraku's twisted mind would be able to justify it ^^).
Is it? :)
Gah! Here you go and make me second-guess pretty much everything. :P
Okay, the only way Rin could still be a daughter figure to Sesshoumaru would make him much older than he appears. Which would only work if he's a demon in this story as well (well, the hair and the eyes ARE a point in that theory's favor and it would explain the revival situation).
The question still remains: Why would Inuyasha and Rin, who both have come into contact with him, not recognize him?
If Inuyasha never knew he had a brother, that would explain his ignorance, but Rin? Hmmm...
... unless... why do I suddenly think of a reincarnation kind of thing? Though, again, something wouldn't fit: Kagome.
And I don't really think that's it anyway.
This is like a puzzle where, no matter what I do, one piece always has the wrong shape and fits nowhere. :P
You're on the right track...
Whee! That makes me strangely proud! *giggle:
Definitely looking forward to the next chapter then. :)