The People You Love by Hana Hikaru

A Sole-less Evening.

The pavement was harsh against Kagome's feet as she stumbled quickly down the sidewalk. It was also raining, but this, Kagome welcomed; Her tears, hot and oversized, were streaming down her face, faster than the rain was falling.

Breathe, Kagome.

She concentrated on her breathing, to distract her from her sadness – the air sharply filling her lungs in shaky uneven bursts. The meager distance she put between herself and the company party satisfied her slightly, so Kagome slowed her pace. Inhaling another sob wrecked breath, she forced her body to be still as she blew the offending air from her lips. Oxygen was a good thing, she reminded herself. There's no need to waste it by crying like this.

Breathe, Kagome.

Her fingers let loose the dainty handbag she had been clutching, allowing it to fall to the earth, dropping to the puddled ground by her striking black stiletto-ed feet. Kagome Scoffed, watching the impact splash polluted water on her french pedicured toes and a disgusted looked wrinkled across her features momentarily. Great. Now my shoes are wet. They were not only her favorite, but expensive to boot! She shimmied around for a moment before rolling her eyes in defeat and sliding the heels off her feet.

Just breathe, Kagome.

Her footsteps were even and continuous on the earth and she absentmindedly noticed that if not for the heels in clutched in her left hand, she would be much further from the place she started running from. Stiletto heels, however pretty, aren't the easiest things to walk in. sure they went with the classy expansive atmosphere in the party tonight, but in this moment, she would trade them in for the hush-puppies in the trunk of her car in a heartbeat. She was gently comforted though, since the wetness streaming down the pavement soothed the sharp ridges on the sidewalk, and gently exfoliated her aching feet.

After a few minutes, Kagome exhausted the last of her tears from her body. The rain mixed with the tiny droplets, and slid down her plump apple cheeks, merging into the wetness of her dress. Her dress was also expensive and a gift from Sesshoumaru, whose pocket was unlimited. She sighed, and looked around. Why'd you go and mention him, now you're going to get all sad again. Good one, Kagome. She was now tired of walking, and for the first time in her life, she knew he wasn't going to come for her.

That would be absurd. You only go after the people you love.

In a far off corner of her right eye, a bench hidden in the tree cover of the park made its impression on Kagome, who stumbled over to it. Looking down at her beautiful black dress already soaked through, she decided she had nothing else to lose, and sat in the puddle on the bench. She leaned back onto the flexible wood and shivered, glancing at the sky one last time before closing her eyes.

She dressed up just for him, on this special night, and what was she rewarded with? Yeah, that's right. Nothing.

Kagome sighed, and tried to search for answers behind her eyes. When she came up with none, she decided it was time to figure out just where things started going wrong, and why. So Kagome, wet-dog induced and all, went back to the very beginning of this downtrodden mess of an event. She went back 1 year ago.

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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