My Soul to Steal by Ai Roku

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha!

Prompt: Soul Cake

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She pulled herself together in time for lunch with the girls. She was trying to act as normal as possible and it was apparently working as Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi didn’t seem to have noticed anything out of the ordinary about her behavior.

Kagome made an attempt to keep track of the conversation but her thoughts kept circling back around to the marks clearly displayed on her wrist, the same wrist that the supposedly illusory Shippo had dug his claws into.

Did that mean it had all been real? A shiver worked its way down her spine at the thought.

It was impossible; she refused to believe that that freakshow had really happened. The scratches were just a coincidence, she probably fell or hit or arm or something; she was a hopeless klutz after all!

“Earth to Kagome!” the annoyance in Yuka’s voice was unmistakable and Kagome started guiltily when she realized the girl had probably been trying to get her attention for a while.

“I’m sorry what,” At her question Eri angrily spoke up.

“Why did you even bother to show up if you weren’t even going to listen?”

Kagome winced thinking frantically for something to say to excuse her inattention, for example “Sorry I zoned out there, but I was just contemplated whether or not I’ve gone insane.” She mentally snorted imagining the looks on their faces after that confession.

Ever the peacemaker Ayumi piped in, “Give her a break guys, can’t you see how tired she looks? Did you have another late night at work Kagome?”

‘You have no idea’ she thought but couldn’t help but to be grateful for her friend’s timely intervention.

Nodding she replied, “Yeah I had to help Dr. Takabayashi catalogue some new items and I didn’t get to leave until after midnight, on top of that my classes started at six this morning so I didn’t get much sleep, I’m sorry for zoning out a bit what were you guys talking about ?”

With a beaming smile Ayumi said, “That’s alright; we were just saying that the host of the party, Mami-chan told us she was going to serve these things called soul cakes.”

“Yeah it’s like some Halloween tradition from England or something; Yuka took over Ayumi’s explanation, Eri nodding at her side.

“Each cake represents a soul lost in purgatory and eating one is supposed to free the soul from its torment.”

She smiled politely at her friends feigning interest in the news, but under the table her hands began to shake as the chilling words spoken by the emaciated fox kit in her hallucination echoed in her mind, “I’m so hungry.”

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