Butterfly Kisses by otterbaby
Chapter 1
I do not own Inuyasha and Co. Kichi however is all mine.
Inspired by a story off Tumblr
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21 year old Kagome Higurashi strolled down the road, wandering the streets of Tokyo, rubbing her arm unconsciously. She could feel the roughness of the scars beneath the fabric of her jacket. She pulled up her sleeve to gaze at the butterflies drawn there. With a shake of her head, she tugged her sleeve down again and looked at her surroundings for the first time since she left the shrine. She caught sight of her favorite café and with a smile set off toward it, destination finally in mind. Slipping inside she smiled at the barista behind the bar. He was an otter hanyou, the son of Kanta, an otter demon she had helped in the past.
“Hey, Kichi-kun!” she called, waving at him.
“The usual, Kagome-senpai?” The young man called back. She nodded at him and went to one of the booths by one of the expansive windows. She shrugged her jacket off, baring her arms to her view again. She turned her left arm so the tender inside was facing up and gently traced a finger across one of the butterflies.
“May I join you?” the male voice startled her out of her trance and she looked up to see Kanta’s laughing brown eyes gazing down at her. She nodded and he sat down. She had reconnected with Kanta about a year earlier when a freak rainstorm had chased her into his café and he had recognized her instantly. They had begun talking and when Kagome had realized who she was talking to, she had freaked out and fainted. It was then that he discovered that she was a cutter. She had opened several of her new cuts and was bleeding through her long sleeved blouse. He, of course, had panicked and she had ended up in the hospital for a couple days. It was because of Kanta that she was participating in the Butterfly project now, instead of cutting.
“How is everything, Kanta?” She asked, putting a hand over his. “Have you heard anything from Kaori?” The otter shook his head. His ex wife was a touchy subject. He traced a finger over one the butterflies on her arm.
“More than normal.” He murmured as his son brought over an orange chocolate espresso and a cranberry orange muffin. She smiled sadly and withdrew her arm from his grasp.
“It was this time 3 years ago that the well closed and trapped me here away from everyone. Ayumi and Eri had basically given me up and I was alone. My mother expected me to go on like it had never happened and forget everything. It was a very dark time for me and I almost died a couple times. In fact, as you well know, I had tried the night before we reconnected.” She looked down at her arm. They sat in silence for a few minutes. “I’m sorry; I know you don’t like to be reminded about that day.”
He nodded. “You’re right, but it’s part of who you are, and if you need to talk about it, I’m here, you know that. Well, I need to get back to work, enjoy your coffee and let me now if you want anything else before you go.” He smiled at her and got up. Kagome quickly became entranced with the butterflies on her arm again.
An hour or so passed while she was lost in her memories, tracing a butterfly named after each one of her companions and friends she had met along her journey. A hand settled on her shoulder and she looked up, expecting to see Kanta. A puzzled expression settled across her features as she took in the longish blonde hair and the honey-brown eyes. “Can I help you, sir?” She asked politely.
“The butterflies, are they for The Butterfly Project?” He asked walking around in front of her. At her nod, he explained, “My daughter and my half-brother both committed suicide several years back. May I sit and add a butterfly, for them?” She nodded, extending her arm towards him.
After a few moments of silence she blurted, “Do I know you? You seem awfully familiar, like someone I knew in the past.”
“Hn,” he responded, concentrating on drawing a delicate butterfly next to the bold jagged one he had already drawn. “Kanta is a good friend of mine. I helped his dad when he was very young.”