10 more minutes. Just 10 more minutes

"That'll be 500 yen sir. Do you have a membership card?"

Kagome suppressed a yawn as the elderly man dug around his wallet. She was vaguely annoyed with him for not already having it out as he was a regular but she was too tired to properly care. Her eyes burned as she glanced at the clock again, still 10 minutes

Don't think about it too much Kagome or your shift will never end

She rung up the man's purchase and began to cash for the next customer. It was a moderately busy day at the grocery store but she had stayed up most of the night studying for her finals that evening. Her co workers had laughed at her bedraggled appearance that morning: messy up do, dark circles under her eyes, rumpled clothes, bored expression and a thermos of coffee- just like out of an American movie. She had been too sleepy to properly appreciate the joke which had made it all the more entertaining, not that her sleep schedule had been at all regular in the past two and a half years. She rubbed her eyes to pull herself back to the present; thoughts of the well and the people she left behind were not going to help her now She checked the screen to make sure she had scanned the right amount of goods and continued along

"That will be 700 yen ma'am. Do you have a membership card?"

"No"

"Would you like to sign up for one now?"

It was all automatic at this point. Everyday was the same thing: wake up at dawn, cry, bathe, eat and come to this purgatory of a job. She finished ringing up the woman's purchases and moved on to the next customer. Clockwork

Speaking of which

Kagome chanced a glance at the wall clock above the POS station. 7 more minutes

"K-Kagome?"

She looked up at the sound of a male voice and dropped the tin of tuna she was holding. It was like her dreams all over again, only this time she did not automatically jump into the arms of her feudal friend. Instead, bile began to rise in her throat as she rubbed her eyes and pinched herself but the blue eyes, tan skin and warm skin did not disappear. Just like that, the gears of her life came to a screeching halt

"Jesus, it's been so long i...i don't know what to say!

Her stomach was rolling, she was hyperventilating and her head felt empty. She didn't trust her voice but she swallowed and tried to speak anyway

"Kouga?"

His smile grew and her legs gave out even though she was sitting. This had to be a dream right? He was supposed to be dead, they all were.

"Haha, haven't heard that name in a while. I go by Toshiro now"

She drank him in, committing all the changes she could see to memory. He was beefier than the last time she saw him and there were wrinkles around his eyes, which were slightly duller than she remembered. His hair was streaked with grey and flowed freely down to his hips and his fangs and pointed ears were gone. Seeing him in khakis and a button up looked so...wrong. It made him look violently human

"Here's my number so we can talk later, don't wanna hold up the line"

And just like that, the gears began to turn again but in a different direction. She took the business card from him and quickly shoved it in her pocket and continued to cash. The muted beeping of the machine suddenly seemed crisp to her ears and she realised how annoying it was. She heard the mutter of the customers and her coworkers around her, the clacking of keyboard keys and the ticking of the clock above her. 4 more minutes, had it always been this noisy? She turned to him and was suddenly aware of every hair that was out of place on her head, the bags under her eyes and her slumped shoulders. She felt like crap.

"Don't be too hard on yourself kags, 500 years is a long time to wait"

His voice was deeper now, she hadn't realised that earlier

"Huh?"

"500 yen right? Here's my membership card"

Her eyes widened for the first time in over an hour. She tentatively took the card and went through with the rest of the sale and he took it back with a wink and a talk to you later. Dumbfounded was the best way to describe her; in less than five minutes he changed the course of her day without even trying

Just like the first time i met him

Kagome smiled for the first time for the day and the nostalgic look in her eyes was not missed by the elderly woman in front of her.

"Quite a catch that one. Old highschool sweetheart?"

The thought of explaining the convoluted love triangle she had been in once upon a time made her sigh "Its...complicated"

The old woman gave her a knowing look "I understand. I remember when i had a crush on my highschool teacher"

Kagome's face turned beet red. It seemed that Kouga still had trouble following him wherever he went

"100 yen" she squeaked out "and it wasn't like that". The lady laughed and handed her the money

"Don't be ashamed of love child. If he doesn't have a wife you should snag him, a man that good looking won't stay single for long. Get the sugar while it's still sweet if you get what i mean."

Kagome did not know what she meant but nod her head just to end the conversation since it was probably something perverse. The lady walked off with a chuckle and Kagome could only shake her head and clutch the card in her pocket. After all this time, Kouga was still able to turn her world upside down in a matter of moments with his words. She smiled again at all the memories they'd shared together. Before she would have groaned and complained about the awkward situation he left her in but she found that she liked it, just a tad.

Maybe she always did

Word count: 1070

Prompt: Ancient