MCD: Having some computer problems, but hopefully they're over~

(...My Contemporary Romance...)

Mama... we all go to hell.

Really, what a promising start of a letter from her mother's only daughter that's out-of-country. Might as well ring the warning bells back home on the shrine right now, really. Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes, continuing on.

Well, I suppose that's not really the right way to put it, but here, let me start over. Maybe it'll make more sense that way.

I'm writing this letter and wishing you well, but Mama... we all go to hell.

Staying in Switzerland with Kiku has been a bit... problematic, I suppose you could call it. Oh, but Kiku's not the problem, no way- he's way too polite and kind and... boring.

Yeah Mama, boring. So tell Gramps to cancel the engagement party. And to not send out the letters for the wedding date. And to stop the shipment of all those wedding gifts... God, I really do feel like I'm going to hell for putting you guys through so much trouble. Because... I don't... I don't love Kiku. Not that way. Especially since we grew up together, you know? He feels like Souta... a brother. It feels awkward to even step into the bedroom and realize that we share it- the wardrobe, the room, the bed... just... ugh. It sends chills down my spine.

Kagome sighed and rubbed her wrists. A very dismal letter, but could she help it? Not really. Forging on...

Mama, we're all gonna die. And I don't want to die with regrets. I know you're probably asking yourself questions like, "Where did I go wrong... How did something like this happen between them..."etc. But please, stop asking questions. Please don't cry if I'm upsetting you... it's just... this can't go on. I can't keep up with the cheap charade anymore. (I'm sorry if Grandpa freaks out and kills all of you with a bunch of questions, I'll explain. Eventually.)

Kagome set down the pen and stared at the so far depressing letter. Suddenly, she smacked both hands to her face and kneaded her cheeks before letting them slide down her face and slam onto the table.

"Okay Kags... you can do this! You love him, don't you?"

Mama, we're all full of lies, and, for the past few months, I have been lying. To you, to Gramps and Souta, and to Kiku. To everyone. It's not fair, and I realize this. So, here's the short version.

I was digging my own grave, and Kiku was building the coffin. I was so obsessed about getting a happy ending that I didn't even pay attention to what was going on around me. I... I sort of blanked out, you could say. I wanted everything to be perfect, and Kiku, being the kind man he is, was going along for the ride for my sake, because he believed that I loved him so very much. Looking back, that was the aspect that lead to our relationship's demise. I didn't take the time to sit down, examine my feelings to see just how deeply they ran, but instead kept barreling through everything like a freakin' runaway train.

People would ask, "Do you love him?" Yes. "Does he love you?" Yes. "Could you imagine the rest of your life with him?" Yes. Yes, I can imagine the rest of my life with him... purely dull, without any real spark in our relationship, because neither of us stood up and stopped this before it snowballed into one big disaster. Kiku because he simply didn't have the backbone to stop such a love; I because I was to busy trying to fill my own expectations rather than truly love him.

Kagome wanted to fall asleep and forget that she was writing a letter. She wanted to realize she left the oven on and leave this quaint workroom in her beautiful Swiss house, never to return, for fear of facing this letter; she wanted to turn away at someone's distraction and "accidentally" knock the letter and envelope into the wastebasket beside the desk. But no. She had to finish this, once and for all.

There's some sort of internal war going on inside me, Mama, and it's making me stop to look at all of this before I do something that I'll really regret. Please, if you are right now, please don't think that you should've raised me better; I don't think that I should've been a better daughter, so don't think anything bad of yourself either. This terrible infection of mistakes can't be cut from my life nor my history, now. It's too late for that, so I'll be a good girl and just deal with it myself.

Kagome breathed a soft sigh. Hearing the door open, she stopped writing a moment and just let the pen soak into an ink blot on the paper. The sound of footsteps stopped behind her and she felt hands on her shoulders; Rubbing and kneading soothingly, making her shoulders droop. She hadn't even realized how tense she'd become while writing this letter.

"Are you alright?" a soft voice murmured above her and the man's chin gently rested on the crown of her head.

"Yeah... it's just hard... I don't want to let them down." Kagome gulped, sniffling a little. The slight pressure on her head was released and she was spun around in the office chair to face her blond-headed love.

"It'll be fine," his steady, calm voice soothed her despite the internal chaos. Staring into his mint-colored eyes lovingly, Kagome couldn't help but break into a small smile. She pecked his nose and giggled at the slight blush that ran across his cheeks.

"It'll be fine," he restarted, huffing slightly, "If your family is as kind and understanding as you say they are, then there shouldn't be a problem." Kagome smiled and leaned their foreheads together.

"I know, Vash. I'm just nervous. Jitters, you could say. They expected so much out of my and Kiku's relationship-" Vash's gloved finger pressed against her lips, silencing her.

"They also expected a lot of Kiku, who went along with the whole thing. If you're really that nervous, then blame him. He's the one who fell in love with my little sister first- and on your pre-wedding vacation, too." He scowled and Kagome giggled, shaking her head.

"Oh c'mon, Vash. It's not his fault he wasn't in love with me. Just be glad that he wasn't in love with me and that he did decide to come to Switzerland. Otherwise, we would've never found each other." Kagome grinned and kissed him, Vash rolling his eyes a bit before he responded to the gesture by kissing her back just as passionately.

"As long as he takes care of Lily..." Kagome laughed, the sound resonating joyfully throughout the room.

"It still amazes me that's the only thing you're concerned about." Kagome shook her head and stood from her comfortable desk seat. "I'll go make some hot cocoa, would you like some?" Vash nodded.

"Put some mint leaves and chocolate shavings on top, with whipped cream!" he called after her giggling form as she walked down the hallway.

"You know it!"

Smiling softly to himself, Vash sighed happily and collapsed into the swivel chair. He was so lucky. If Kiku (whom he was surprisingly friends with) hadn't gone to Vash's bank that first day of the vacation, he would've never met Lily, who would have never helped Kiku tell Kagome that he wanted to end it, and Vash would have never come and consoled Kagome... Vash shook his head, clearing away the thoughts. He and Kagome were together now, and that's all that mattered.

Turning, Vash's mint-green eyes scanned the letter that Kagome had addressed to her mother in English. Frowning slightly, he picked up the pen and tapped it against the page for a few moments before bending over the letter in concentration.

Ma'am, this is Kagome's love, Vash, older brother of Kiku's new girlfriend. I would just like to ask you not to take it too hard when you hear about this. Kagome's been stressed out enough for the past month and a half and hearing disapproval of her behavior from you would absolutely crush her.

So, I ask that you don't blame us for falling in love and separating Kagome and Kiku's so-called "perfect union" (I heard Kagome mention her grandfather using the term, and I couldn't disagree more).

If we really do go to hell for having such a love, then I'll bathe in the flames. For disrupting a disaster in the making, then I'd gladly pay for it in the afterlife. I don't know if Kagome would be able to handle your disappointment, though, and I personally know that she would love to hear your opinion on this incident before she returns home.

I hope that I have not helped cause too much trouble, and if I have, that Kagome will not be the one to pay for it. (If there be Hell to pay then I'll tip the bill, if it keeps Kagome out of your bad graces.)

Vash turned away from the letter at the sound of Kagome's footsteps up the hall. Scrambling, the Swiss bank manager tossed the pen down and covered his writing with another blank piece of paper as Kagome walked in, two cups of hot chocolate in hand. Of course the tops were decorated with white, fluffy, home-made whipped cream, small mint leaves, and chocolate shavings (to Vash, this was the only proper way to have hot chocolate). Raising an eyebrow at the suddenly messed-up papers at the desk, Kagome smiled and sat on Vash's lap, handing him a cup of hot chocolate after she confirmed she wouldn't fall off.

Vash took a sip, taking a moment to smile at the perfect quality, before tapping the blank piece of paper and picking up the pen with the hand that wasn't holding his hot chocolate.

"Finish it for me on this, would you please?" Vash murmured, planting kisses against Kagome's back, in between her shoulder blades. Squealing a bit at the feathery, ticklish action, Kagome set down her drink before she spilled it and grabbed the pen from her boyfriend.

She tapped the page with the back of the pen for a moment before quickly scribbling out the last of what she wanted to say. With a critical eye, Vash glanced over the last few sentences.

Mama, he's my sweetheart, I love him so much I could write a song about it. He's a gun-toting, bank-managing, chocolate-loving son of a gun and I couldn't leave him if I tried.

If you're at at all upset at this, then I'm telling you not to be. Go out, raise a couple glasses to Hell and Love and everything that will come tomorrow and everyday after.

When everyone's settled down, give me a call.

With love,

~Kagome and Vash Zwingli

Chuckling, Vash plucked the letter from his love's hands and sealed it inside the envelope, tossing it on the table to be dealt with at a later date.

"You made it sound like we both had the same name, y'know," Vash mumbled. Kagome rolled her eyes that Vash found something to grumble at. Kagome leaned down and kissed Vash once more before standing and tugging him out of his seat, hot chocolate nearly tipping, and pulling him away to the living room they shared to watch some cheesy chick-flicks that would make her feel better and mortify Vash.

(...MCR...)

MCD: If it weren't obvious enough, the song for this is "Mama", or "Mama we all go to Hell" by My Chemical Romance. I hope you enjoyed it, Shirakami and Legolas, even though it's a bit later than expected.