Lie
AN: My fortieth story! I'm so proud of myself. (: I never thought I'd be able to manage forty stories when I joined ! Well, enjoy this strange, short little one-shot.
P.S. : I've started spelling Inuyasha 'InuYasha'. As awkward as it looks, it's the right way to write it, so... I'll still stick with 'Inuyasha' for Evergreen, though. Next chapter should come your way soon.
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
She's not coming back.
Every day, when I come home from school, I ask about her without fail. And every day, I get the same response.
"She's busy, dear. I'm sure she'll call soon."
Sometimes, I feel frustrated about how my mother tries to protect me. I know she means well, but really, I'm not that stupid, and I'm not such a little kid anymore. I can tell she's not coming back.
I still remember that day, a year ago. I came home from school, sure that Kagome would be happy – it had been her last day of high school, after all. Surely she'd be glad to be free of the place. If she wasn't happy, I'd thought she'd be pleased, at least. Maybe she'd even smile. It had been so long since I'd seen my sister smile properly.
I entered an empty house. There was no one about. I wasn't surprised – Kagome was probably upstairs, stuck in her own little world as always, and mom was probably in the kitchen or had gone out for groceries. Grandpa… well, he could be anywhere. Needless to say, I wasn't unduly worried.
I'd set my bag down when my mom came through the door. She appeared pale, and her skin was stretched taut across her face. People think I don't notice that stuff just because I'm still a kid, but even then, I could tell that she was sad.
"Souta!" Her eyes widened, and I saw a flash of panic in her gaze. "You're home early, dear."
I gave her an odd look. I was actually home late – some of my friends had held me back at school because they wanted to discuss the next week's 'cultural programme'. My mom seemed to realize that she'd said the wrong thing and waved her hands in the air absently.
"Ah, I must have lost track of the time." Her features shifted ever so subtly as she smoothed out her worried frown and allowed the corners of her lips to turn upwards. I wasn't fooled.
I'm a lot more perceptive than people give me credit for, like I said earlier.
"Where's grandpa, mom?" I decided to start the questioning gently, as my mother was obviously anxious about something. Had something happened to grandpa? As ageless and spry as he seemed, grandpa was still old, and he often pushed himself far too much for a man of his age. My mother shook her head and raised a hand to brush some hair off her forehead. Her eyes looked suspiciously red.
"Mom… have you been crying?" I didn't even wait for her reply about grandpa. I frowned at her and crossed my arms, vaguely aware of the weight of my bag on my leg.
"What?" Her hands flew to her face, and she wiped hurriedly at the hollows beneath her eyes. "No, of course not."
I hate it when she lies to me.
"Mom…" Boys weren't supposed to inquire about each and every detail of other people's lives. But this was my mom. If she'd been crying, something bad had happened.
"All right, yes." I narrowed my eyes at how quickly she changed tracks. "I have been crying. But it's good news, Souta, I promise!" Her lips curved upwards so naturally that I was almost fooled. "Kagome has been accepted into an overseas college!"
Overseas? I tilted my head to one side, my eyebrows drawing together over my nose at the words. Hadn't Kagome always said she wanted to study in Japan itself, because she couldn't bear to be homesick anymore?
That was what she said. I always knew it was because of the well.
"It's brilliant news," my mom continued, her eyes shining brightly. "She left earlier – they needed her over there as soon as possible. You know how consistent your sister's grades are, they wanted her to join some sort of summer programme there."
All lies. I could tell she was lying by the way her nostrils flared ever so slightly, and the way her fingers played with the hem of her shirt. My mom didn't lie very often, which was why it was easy to find out when she was actually lying. She wasn't very good at it.
"Uh-huh." I nodded my head slowly, deciding to play along. Maybe my mom wasn't lying. Maybe Kagome really had been selected for a prestigious college overseas, and had had to leave to attend a summer programme.
Maybe.
A year later, I know that's not true. She isn't coming back. She hasn't gone overseas, either. Kagome loves her family – she would have called, or sent us a letter, or something. She wouldn't have cut herself off from us.
That's how I know where she's gone. The only place where she can't reach us.
The well.
My relationship with Kagome is hard to explain. We don't fight all the time, not like some of the siblings you see on television. We're not exactly best friends, either, like some of the other siblings you see on television. But we know we can trust each other.
Yes, I used to annoy her at times – especially when she'd just returned from the Sengoku Jidai or brought InuYasha with her. I am still a kid, no matter how perceptive I am. New stories excited me, and the fact that such adventures were happening to my sister – it made me feel proud, and a little jealous.
What? I'm allowed to feel envious! While her high point of the day might have been slaying a demon with a Shikon shard, my high point of the day was usually managing to submit my homework on time.
We were always worlds apart. Kagome was impetuous at times, and exceedingly passionate. I was always more mellow – more prone to fear, to petty emotions like jealousy and laziness. I don't even know if 'laziness' is an emotion or not… probably just a state of mind.
Basically, Kagome was extreme. Everything was extreme for her – kindness, love, anger. I was always the one who was stuck in the middle, dithering from one thing to another. I don't mind – even though I might have minded then.
We were so different, and yet so alike. We both cared about school. Yes, she was a little more obsessive over it – but who could blame her, after all she missed? We both cared about each other. I still remember when I gathered those notes for her when I'd heard there was a test coming up in her school. Kagome hadn't been able to believe that I'd done something so responsible.
The thought makes me laugh, and yet it makes me sad, too. Why does everyone assume that children can't be responsible?
In any case, I know she's crossed over the well. It must have opened again for her. Maybe she hadn't known she wouldn't be able to come back through it again.
Everyone has to make a choice in life, and my sister chose her heart. No, that's the wrong thing to say – she chose her love. She chose the past instead of the future, and I can't help but feel sad about it.
I miss her. Of course I do. Despite how whiny and annoying she could be, she was always around when I needed help, be it in school or in my social life. She loved me.
She still loves me. Sometimes, I think I can feel her love on me, and it's like a tingling feeling all over my skin. It's like she's looking at me from somewhere I can't see her, but she's smiling.
Whenever I get that feeling, I try to concentrate on my love for her, too. I hope she's able to receive it.
I know she's happy. As cliché as that sounds – I think that's all that matters.
AN: I needed to get this out of my system. Sorry.