A/N: As of 28 December 2011, every chapter has been revised. Please take the time to read over the old chapters again before reading the newest chapter.
Also, please drop me a little review telling me what you liked or didn't like. It really does mean a lot to me.
The raven-haired girl sat at her desk folding kusudama and smoking a cigarette.
Fold, fold, puff. Fold, puff. Weave, puff.
Her entire family smoked. Each of them pretended not to when they were around each other. They would sit at the table full of nervous laughter and always skirt around the topic of taboo: nicotine. After mealtime and visiting each other they would disappear to their smoking havens.
Grandpa relaxed in the far back of the storeroom at a desk cramped with ancient artifacts, while the smoke swirled and congealed in the light emanating from a dim lamp.
Mother would sit on the pantry floor with her back to the shelves.
Sota hid in the shrine and nervously puffed away.
Kagome went to the only room that was hers alone: her bedroom.
At the next meal, each had their excuse for being gone. Grandpa was cataloguing the family's artifacts. Mother was looking for something needed for a recipe. Sota was sweeping the always-immaculate shrine. Kagome was doing her schoolwork. These were the patterns- until now. Kagome spent all of her time locked in her room since she'd come back –permanently- from the past.
Everyone- especially Inuyasha- had broken the last thread holding Kagome in the past. She did not stomp her feet and yell at Inuysha. She did not subjugate him to the Earth's core. She did not confide in Sango, nor did she call Miroku a lecher. Kagome simply sighed heavily with her hands massaging her temples while muttering that she had to go home. And she turned and walked to the bone-eater's well.
Kagome simply couldn't bare seeing Miroku and Sango being sickly sweet together while she was being used as she was. Kagome couldn't stand the building-up of false promises and secretly whispered sweet-nothings and heretical touches when no one was looking and when Kikyo wasn't available.