Seems Like I Should Be Getting Somewhere

Anna POV

I leave Dr. Takei's. I find a woman with three kids. "Excuse me," I ask. "I hate to ask this, but could you possibly lend me enough money to make a phone call? I have no money and no way to get home." All technically true at this point.

"Oh, of course, dear." She digs in her purse a moment then hands me enough change to make a call.

"Thank you so much."

I go to the nearest payphone and call the temple. "Hello?" Thank god. It's Shizuru not Kurama.

"Hey, Shizuru. It's Anna. I really need your help."

"What do you need, Anna?" She sounds concerned.

"I'm going to be home in two hours, maybe a little less. Could you make sure Kurama is gone when I get there? It's important."

"Okay. What's going on, Anna?"

"I'll explain everything when I get there. I promise." Then my time runs out.

I walk to the highway and walk a while before catching a ride from a trucker.

Two hours later…

I walk inside. "Is Kurama here?" I ask. Why do I feel so nervous? Just because I'm inside? No. I was inside at Dr. Takei's. It's because I'm so close to actually doing what I need to do. And I think, deep down in my heart, I've known I need to do this for a long time.

"No, Anna. Now tell me what's going on." Her voice is both concerned and demanding.

"You told me I need to fix myself. Dr. Takei told me I only think I don't know how to show people I care. And if I don't do something, I'll end up hurting Kurama worse than I did on Saturday." I sit down. Do I really want to know. "How bad was it, Shizuru?"

"His first reaction was to try and get drunk, if that tells you anything. I stopped him, but I think he was in shock. He's been confused and depressed ever since." I wince. Seeing that, Shizuru asks, "Why did you do it, Anna? I can see it's killing both of you."

"First, can I ask a big favor of you? If you can't help me, all the pain I've caused us both will have been for nothing." She stares at me and waits for me to continue. So I ask, "Could you lend me enough money for a plane ticket to America?"

She looks shocked and starts shaking her head. She stops. "Why, Anna? That won't solve anything."

"You know I heard you talking about how I always run. Well, to learn how to stop running, I need to go back and face the problems I left behind."

"And why can't Kurama know?"

"He'd insist on going with me." I can't have that. Not if I ever want to feel worthy of Kurama. "I have to fight this fight alone, Shizuru."

She looks at me. "I think I understand why you can't tell him you're going. But why did you tell him those things on Saturday? It stills seems like a lot of unnecessary hurt to me."

I stare at the wall for a while before I answer. "What I'm going to do…it will either fix me or break me beyond repair. If it's the latter, I won't be coming back."

Her face softens. "If he doesn't know you love him, it might hurt him less to lose you. And when you come back and explain, he'll understand."

"If, not when, Shizuru."

"No, Anna," she replies firmly. "When. You're strong. You'll come back. I know you will. You love him enough that you wouldn't be able to stay away forever, even if you are broken."

Whatever. I'm not convinced. "The point is, if it doesn't work out, it will hurt him less in the long run."

She nods and smiles. "There's not enough time to drive to the airport tonight. Meet me at the car at dawn, and if we're lucky, you'll be on a plane to America by this time tomorrow."

"You're my hero, Shizuru."

"Anna…I'm doing this for Kurama, too." When she says this, I realize she's right. I am coming back. No matter how I try, I won't be able to stay away from him.

"I know. Which makes me like your reasoning even better."

She shakes her head in disbelief. "You really should just tell him the truth."

"I will." After a pause, I add, "When I come back."

Weeeeelllllll... There you have Anna, the best example of stupidity ever. Anna and Dr. Takei.

Insanity4Apples: No offense taken. Actually...that's basically how I feel about Anna at this point in the story too.

Angel of Randomosity: Yeah, Anna pretty much deserves that. If only Kurama could see that she is more stupid than anyone I've ever met.

Sarcastic Nightmare: Hopefully. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)

animegrlsteph: YOU WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS?