Kagome was different.
Oh, he didn't mean the physical changes but more the way she held herself and the way she acted.
It was as if she was trying so hard to play the role of a sister, of a daughter, that she was forgetting to be herself.
Of course it could have been chalked up to grief or PTSD, Souta considered. She had come back from a war and undoubtedly people had died.
Yet, there was something else. A grace Kagome had that she didn't before. Her smiles were forced, and every now and then there was a wistful look in her eyes, like she wanted to grab them all and never let go.
She wasn't even playing with Buyo, instead watching him disinterestedly as he sauntered past.
He had asked what happened with Inuyasha and she had to think about it before she could answer. How could she forget so soon?
Souta couldn't help but wonder what had changed his sister, but he still wanted her back. He wanted her smiles, and her hugs, and the way that she would yell at him and pull at his ears.
Not this doll. Never this doll.