Life, or Something Like It
Kagome could be happy in her own time, really she could. She just needed to stop wishing for things that were literally ancient history and focus on her future. And maybe kill whichever god had placed a goddamn kitsune in her botany class. Drabbles
~ I ~
Let Sleeping Fox Lie
(Theme 9; New Places, 937 words)
She was lost. Again.
Un-Freakin'-believable.
Huffing to herself, Kagome glared dourly at the map in her hands, which may as well have been written in Greek for the good it did. Figures that she could wander around five hundred years in the past with little difficulty finding her way around, but one day on a college campus had her feeling completely out of her element.
Then again, Inuyasha was always the one who led us in the past…
Shaking her head as if to banish that unbidden thought, Kagome tried to ignore the sudden pain in her heart. NO! She was NOT doing again! She'd spent two years moping, and she refused to be depressed any longer! Yes she was ripped away from her friends without so much as a goodbye, yes she and Inuyasha were now separated by five centuries and a dried up well that refused to work despite the tears and heartfelt pleas from the born-again miko, but as of today, none of that mattered anymore! She was in college now, on campus and away from the echos of a time long past. If she could survive the Sengoku Jidai, then darn it she was could make a life for herself in her OWN era!
Sighing, Kagome turned back to the paper in her hands, glowering at the thing like it was the latest spawn of her long dead foe. Much like Naraku, the map was undaunted by the miko's temper. Unlike the hanyou though, Kagome could crumple the page between her hands and toss it into a waste bin.
Screw it. She'd figure out the campus on her own, since the map was useless.
Three dead ends and an accidental detour into the boy's locker room later, Kagome finally managed to locate the common area, feeling triumphant despite her setbacks. Higurashi Kagome was a lot of things, but 'quitter' wasn't one of them.
Before the girl could do much more then bask in her victory, three female students jostled past her, almost bowling her over as they giggling amongst themselves and eyed something in the distance hungrily. Frowning at the girls' lack of manners, Kagome turned to see what had captured their attention.
And promptly froze, suddenly finding it impossible to breathe.
A redheaded boy with eyes so vivid that she could tell they were green even with the distance remained oblivious to her stare, as well as the looks he was getting from others around him. But unlike her coeds, it wasn't his looks that caught Kagome's attention, though he was easy on the eyes. It was the youki around him, soaking in the natural energies of the outdoors in a decidedly kitsune manner that reminded her of Shippo when they made camp after a hard day of traveling.
Every foul curse Kagome had ever heard from Inuyasha began cycling through her head as the miko fought her panic. Weren't demons supposed to be dead? Then why was one sitting on her campus like he belonged there? Turning on her heel, Kagome marched back to her dorm before she did something stupid, like attack the redhead and demand answers. She'd be tossed out for sure for that one, and Souta would never let her live it down.
Letting herself into her room, Kagome was relieved to see that her roommates were all gone, leaving her to hyperventilate in peace.
"Okay, Kagome, stay calm. I mean, there's a demon enrolled in the school, but that's no big deal, right? He's not here for you, and the jewel's gone so you don't have to worry about that anymore. He probably just wants to further his education, same as you. Nothing wrong with that, right?" Kagome stopped pacing to consider this before moaning pitifully and falling face first onto the couch. After grumbling a few more curses into a cushion, Kagome turned her eyes heavenward. "I'm doomed, aren't I?"
The miko sighed and tried not to think of the implications of demons in the future. She'd never seen a demon on this side of the well before today, and had no reason to believe they were there. Thinking about it now was dangerous, because it brought up new questions, and a fragile hope that she knew could be crushed so easily.
After all, if one demon was still around, then there were others too, right? Perhaps even…
"NO!" Furious with herself, Kagome sprang to her feet. "I am NOT putting myself through this! If they were still alive, they would've found me by now!" She could feel her heart break again even as she spoke the words, but tried not to let it bother her. After all, it would only hurt more if she let herself hope, to find that it was in vain. "They're in the past now, Kagome. And they wouldn't want to see you like this, so try to move on, alright?"
Steeling her resolve, Kagome came to a decision; She'd avoid this strange kitsune, and ignore the false promises his presence offered. Instead, she'd do exactly what she came to college to do in the first place. Namely, move on from the past and try and carve a new future for herself. Oh, and get a degree while she was at it. That too. Sighing in relief, Kagome smiled to herself, feeling better about the mystery fox now that she had a plan to avoid him, albeit a weak one.
…So when he waltzed into her Botany class the next day, claimed the seat next to hers and warmly introduced himself as Minamino Shuichi, Kagome felt very much like crying.