She'd been distant since her visit to England. Shortly after, she visited America and then Mexico as well, getting along well with all three of them. Kiku felt his heart hurt at the sadness in her aura these days. Disappearing for most of the day, Kagome only returned late at night to sleep in her room. She hardly spoke when he was able to catch her and he never saw her smile anymore.
"Are you well?" he asked one night when she slipped back into the house, soaking wet from the rain.
"I'm fine," she replied, pulling off her boots and outer coat.
In truth, she looked miserable. Drifting to her, Kiku offered her a towel, which she took with a mumbled thanks.
"I haven't seen much of you recently," he stated.
Her motions didn't pause as she dried her hair. "You've been busy."
He frowned. "Not so busy that I don't notice the absence of your smile, Kagome. Why don't you smile anymore?"
Pushing back the damp locks, Kagome met his eyes, hers guarded in a way he hadn't seen directed at him.
"I'm just working some stuff out, okay? It's not you. It's just something I have to figure out on my own. Don't worry about it."
Sliding passed him, she hurried to her room, closing the door with a firm click.