Kagome tucked the yellow comforter under her cold, bare legs to get in a more comfortable position in her spacious bed that made the loss of Inuysaha plain. Sunlight barely peeked in through the curtains, marking the second week of being at Grandmamma's cheery villa. Kagome successfully avoided her family's attempts at making her go out, using the excuse of getting lost easily- which was backed up from actually being lost at the local park.
Kagome buried her nose deeper into Inuyasha's red shirt, the scent fading from how frequent she took it out even though it made her chest tight with tears, yet she was hollowed out at her core. T-shirt by Shontelle sang from her phone as she thumbed through the pictures of them together, her battery slowly dying.
They were so happy together in those pictures, Inuyasha used to hold her so closely that she was sure he could hear her heartbeat. Inuyasha's gold sunflower eyes were so intense as they bore deep into her, love or lust making them even brighter. . . She closed her own large blue eyes tightly- he was probably with that other woman. He looked at her that way. For all Kagome knew Inuyasha had this other woman wrapped in his muscled arms, his handsome face slack with sleep.
Kagome threw her phone away from her, the thud loud as it hit the wall. Her chest tightened again, her throat tightening as tears forced themselves out of her mournful blue eyes. Her shoulders shook with the pain of his betrayal, utterly broken sounds of heartbreak forcing themselves out her opened mouth.
She didn't hear Kikyo come in, but the hesitant feel of her older sister's caring hand was comforting, making large circles on Kagome's quaking back. Kikyo stopped rubbing Kagome's back to instead crawl under the yellow comforter with her as if they were children again when Mama was working late. Kagome turned her face into her sister's slim arms, tears rolling down. Kikyo placed her soft chin on Kagome's bedhead.
"Let it all out." Kikyo spoke into Kagome's hair, her other hand rubbed Kagome's back again. She took a few more shuttering breaths as the tears continued to fall, soaking into Kikyo's pajama shirt.
"Kagome. You need to heal. You're coming today and there's no way you're getting out of it." Kikyo sternly ordered after Kagome finished crying. Her sister's face was open with sisterly concern as she wiped away Kagome's tears, her brown eyes glowing with compassion. Kagome couldn't find the will in her to refuse, knowing how much her sister cared about her. It didn't help that it was her fault that small, dark bags were forming under Kikyo's chocolate eyes, so she looked away with shame sinking in her stomach.
"Come on," Kikyo pulled her from the bed energetically but looked at Inuyasha's crumbled red t-shirt with contempt, her nose wrinkling. "We going to need more TLC before we go out." Kikyo nodded to herself, her pale brown hair messily going everywhere with the movement.
"Grandmamma! Where's the grape seed peel off masks?" Kikyo called out down the hallway, dragging Kagome over the caramel and pink tiled floor. Grandmamma head poked out from the bathroom, her plump olive face happy, one of her false teeth in her round hands.
"It's behind the mirror sweetheart." Grandmamma answered, her heavy accent stressing the -roar sound, and pulled Kagome into comfort.
"Go sit in the living room," Kikyo told her gently as she shared a concerned look with Grandmamma. Kagome walked down the elegant stairs, her fingers gliding over the black railing, instead of causing a fight for being ordered- as if she was still a child. She settled into the glossy black couch, which sunk underneath her weight delightfully. Kagome wrapped her arms and legs around the square pillow, the pink petals embroidered onto it. She didn't have to wait long before Kikyo glided down, face masks held in her slim fingers.
Kikyo set down the excess face masks on the richly colored coffee table, a close-lipped smile breaking over her face. Kagome raised an eyebrow, pretending to be annoyed, but truly, how could she when Kikyo was going through the effort to make her happy? They took a few minutes to browse through the various peel off masks- some charcoal, grape seed and an apple/ banana one.
Kikyo unwrapped the apple and banana one, the mask smelled bright like the fruit, crisp in the air. It was cold and soothing against Kagome's needy skin. Her body slowly relaxed more as Kikyo curled up next to her, her pale face hidden by her own peel off mask. Kagome couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her mouth at the sight of her sister, which made the mask slid down her face, and under her chin. Kikyo joined in, shaking her head as she flipped through channels, and stopped on Cooks vs. Cons. Grandmamma tittered in, her plump hands holding their breakfast of eggs, toast, and sausage.
"I could win that." Grandmamma announced, her crescent eyes crinkling more as Kagome took the ceramic plate, the smell making her stomach grumble.
"Of course you could! You're the best cook we know, Grandmamma." Kagome smiled as she peeled off the mask to properly eat her breakfast, which made both of her family members giggle again.
"Why don't you try?" Kikyo asked as she followed suit, the liquid glistening on her smiling face. Grandmamma made a sound again, shaking her head, her small pin curls whooshing around her head like an oblivious cloud.
"And then have to cook for everyone that isn't you beautiful girls?" Grandmamma pouted, her eyes still crinkled with joy. Kagome shook her head, a smile at the corner of her lips.
Kagome stared at herself in the mirror, frowning at her image reflected back at her. She moved side to side as if that would make her forget that this flowy pink shirt was the one she wore on their third date, or that the skinny jeans she was wearing were one of Inuyasha's favorites. Tears bundled behind her blue eyes again as she recalled the feel of him pulling her close, his triangle ears perked up as his gold eyes took in everything about her, from her head to her toes.
Kikyo knocked on the door and proceeded to lean against the frame, her arms crossed, as Kagome wiped away a few stray tears that managed to come out. "We'll get you a whole new wardrobe." Kikyo promised, her dark brown eyes pained at seeing Kagome such mess.
"That'd be nice." Kagome admitted meekly, her nose a bit pink from the crying, as she followed Kikyo out of the house.
Downtown was bustling as the sun beat down on everyone. Sweat broke out across Kagome's forehead as she looked at sun hats with envy. It seemed that everyone in the bustling square was wearing one, ribbons flowing out of them. She should have worn a dress, she admitted to herself as she continued to sweat under the ruthless sun, the flowy shirt sticking close to her skin.
People called out from their stalls, fruits piled high with bright handmade signs, cluttering the sidewalks. Grandmamma was busy looking over one of those said fruit stalls, her own sun hat making her blend into the crowd. Kikyo was pressed close to a store window, her hands cupped by her eyes to help her see in.
Kagome flinted between the stalls that cluttered the sidewalk until she came to a calmer section of the stores. People milled about, couples holding hands, mothers with their daughters. A bright flash of color made her look into a store, the windows clear like water. Kagome looked through the window to reveal art pieces of all shapes and sizes. Some were made out of wire, clay, which were all nice, but one particularly caught her attention.
The door let out a soft chime as Kagome hesitantly opened it, air condition blasting against her wilting skin. People were in small clusters, some in suits and others with tied dyed shirts, whispering to each other at different pieces of art that caught their attention. A large canvas was what caught her eye, the red drawing her eye from outside. Her feet unconsciously brought her to it, her mouth open with surprise.
Kagome's silhouette stared back at her. It was curled to the side, her hair separated with a muted gray against a darker background, silver tears fell from her silhouette to land in water, which rippled with richly colored fish. This had to be her! It was probably that dog youki! She scoured the canvas looking for a signature, and the one she found just had a fancy S.T. but nothing else.
"It's very exquisite, capturing the beauty of tears and connecting it to the fish. Draws the eye perfectly." A woman said, startling Kagome. The tall woman, made by elegant heels, smiled softly at her, her mono lidded red eyes amused.
"I apologize for startling you, I didn't know you were so engrossed." The woman turned her head back to the canvas, her bun swaying a bit with the pieces of jewelry glittering in it.
"It's okay. . . "Kagome awkwardly answered, her face flushed with embarrassment, her fingers curling themselves around her thin purse strap. "Do you know the artist?" She asked quickly to fill the silence that hung between them.
"Not personally, but I love his- or her- art so much. I admit I buy every piece I can get my hands on." The woman laughed, shifted on her high heeled feet, to face Kagome again.
"So you're an art collector?" Kagome wiped her forehead discreetly, the sweat making her forehead oily and shiny in the natural light that flowed through the large windows.
"I am, do you want my card?" The woman pulled one out of her purse in an expert move, her manicured fingers elegantly holding the small white and purple card, not waiting for Kagome to answer.
"Thank you," Kagome turned the white and purple card over. "Kagura Kaze. . . It is very nice to meet you." The woman- Kagura- laughed like a wind chime, her white teeth drawing attention to how fair her skin really was.
"It's very nice to meet you too—"She waited, making Kagome stutter.
"K-Kagome Higurashi."
"Well Miss Kagome, if you ever want to look at my art collection, or happen to know who our mysterious artist is, contact me." Kagura flicked her wrist in a goodbye motion, her high heeled feet clicking away, leaving her alone to stare at the painting.
A/N: Wow, guess I can't leave this story alone, haha. Apologizes for this one being so short when compared with the first part- but this has been through two drafts alone. Thank you guys for your favorites, and following! Your messages, and the lone review, tickled me pink! Continue with your support please—you might get the next chapter quicker then :) :D
