The car has been quiet the last quarter hour. Keiko has been given a blanket and sleeps peacefully in the front seat, eyes covered from the late afternoon sunlight with Shizuru's sunglasses. Her parents are in the back seat, deeply asleep beside Kagome. Keiko had been too nervous to sit with her parents; she would not have been able to otherwise sleep. Atsuko has claimed the small flat in the back, and snores are floating ever so lightly from the sleeping bag Kagome had lended her.
Shizuru's hands have been squeezing the steering wheel for quite a while now. The twisting skin of her clenched fingers can be seen even from the back seat. The physically oldest of them is trying to figure it all out; Kagome has managed to avoid the explanation, but is dreadfully aware of a fraction of it lying in wait. Everything feels unbearably heavy.
"You should sleep if you can," Shizuru interrupts her train of thought. Kagome looks up at her in exhausted surprise. "Whatever that light show you put on for Keiko's parents was tired you out. We're almost there."
Kagome rubs her eyes and shakes her head. "The last leg of the trip is the most dangerous. I'll stay awake, I'm perfectly fine."
"See, this is also new," Shizuru snorts. "You speak like one of those DnD characters. going on missions."
What the hell did… "Do not disturb?" Kagome guesses, puzzled.
Shizuru shoots her a genuinely confused look, and Kagome immediately knows she's missed some sort of reference.
"I don't really watch television much," she says, and her face grows hot when the other girl laughs in disbelief.
"You weren't at home sick at all, were you?" Shizuru muses, and Kagome finally keeps her damn mouth shut. Shizuru, however, holds one thing over Kagome's head- the patience to keep from being the first to break the silence.
"I was… technically at home," Kagome skirts around. "Just… no one could get to me, I wasn't… here." It sounds like she's talking about having a mental breakdown. She hates the way she makes her past sound like something terrible. Was it terrible? Was it a mental breakdown?
It's certainly becoming one.
Shizuru eyes her in the rearview, a different sort of frown on her handsome face. "Did you eat today at all?"
Kagome sags with sudden relief, happier with an easy to answer question. "Few bites of stew."
A tsk from the front seat. "If I make you an omelette will you eat some of it?"
The mention of hot food brought attention to a fierce hunger Kagome hadn't been aware of even feeling. "And rice?" she requests sheepishly.
"And rice," Shizuru promises, the eyeroll audible in her fond tone. They'd bought some perishables from the Urameshi residence back when Atsuko had been picked up because the little group didn't dare to make another stop. Who knew what the stores looked like at the moment.
The scenery of the trip passes by them much quicker now that they're out of the screaming city. Kagome tries not to think about it- about how the old her would have stayed and helped the trapped civilians or died trying- but she's playing the long con now, and has people relying on her.
Kagome's voice drifts over into the front seat. "Have you ever tried making takoyaki?"
"Like the street food?" Shizuru lets out a thoughtful hum. "I have, but Kazu doesn't like octopus very much. Makes more sense to buy stuff he'll eat."
Kagome unthinkingly replies with "Souta hates- hated?- green bell peppers, so Ma-my mother had to um, work around it." By the end of her sentence her voice is weaker from its stumbling, and there's a clear hurt in her voice. She clears her throat. "I'm pretty good with a picky eater though, my- ah, I knew a little boy who wouldn't eat a single vegetable at first. Just red meat."
Shizuru, bless her, latches on to the new topic. "Just red meat?" she asks, tone laced with disbelief. Her eyes don't leave the road, and her voice is soft and familiar. Kagome wants to sink into it.
"At least it was easier to catch than a damn octopus."
"Whaaat?" came Shizuru's amused drawl, distracting Kagome from the now darkened horizon. "Why didn't you just go to the store? Isn't there a 7-Eleven down the road from the shrine?"
The silence grows thicker, hesitant, and in the lull of conversation they hear Keiko begin to stir. Without thinking, Kagome reaches forward and tucks a strand of Keiko's short brown hair behind her ear. As touch seems to confirm something for her, Keiko settles back to sleep.
"That's not my home anymore." The absolute defeat in Kagome's tone has Shizuru tightening her grip on the steering wheel. "As far as everyone else is concerned, that was never my home to begin with."
The car is completely silent. Although the trepidation in Kagome's tone was clearly heard, Shizuru still gently pushes, one last time:
"Are you sure they're safe right now?"
"Yes," Kagome says, and some of the steel has melted from her voice. "Yes, that's the only thing I'm sure of."
The last fifteen minutes of the car ride are horribly quiet- when they park, Kagome lunges out of the car and into the cool evening. She takes a few lungfuls of the crisp night air to give herself a chance to recover, and shuts her eyes to stop seeing.
Safe. As if her family had ever been safer.
After all, it wasn't like Kagome was around to bring anymore danger. Her family is definitely safe. They have to be.
Because what else has everything been for, then?
The driver door shuts, firm enough to gently rock the car. Kagome can hear Shizuru's sandal clad feet padding over the wet grass, but she can't snap herself out of the spiral of worry. It isn't until she's bracketed by Shizuru's cologne that Kagome realizes the other girl's embraced her, and as Shizuru's willowy arms squeeze, Kagome allows herself to violently shiver.
"You have too many secrets," Shizuru tells her, and the statement shoots right through them both. "Come on. Let's get you to bed, and I'll unpack the car."
Clarity begins to chase away the clouds in Kagome's eyes. Slowly detaching herself from Shizuru's arms, Kagome shakes her head and begins to quietly unpack, a silent refusal that she knows Shizuru will respect, even if she doesn't understand it. While at the moment she'd like nothing more than sleep, Kagome has learned better than to leave a group unguarded. Another factor is Kagome needing to be the first one to greet Genkai. There are a few things needed to be discussed. Yet another factor in staying with the group is strength in numbers.
Blood flashes in her memory. I'll never be that fucking late again.
With that being all of the motivation needed, Kagome forces herself to loosen up a bit of the chokehold she has on her abilities. Power swells up inside her suddenly, and Kagome panics. If that amount of holy energy was dispersed it could kill several of the demons that found refuge in Genkai's forest- but more selfishly, more cowardly, Kagome fears it being reported back to Enma, to Enma cominghere and everything being-
and everything being--
No!
Fire races up her arm. Kagome sees the blessedly small flare of power go straight into the air, before disolving into nothing. Someone's yelling her name.
"Be quiet," Kagome says, her tongue too thick in her mouth. She tries again, "Bequiet, we're in a forest." Hypocritically, Kagome cries out as her arm is jerked towards Shizuru, who is emoting more than Kagome's ever seen her.
"Oh my- yourarm, you-"
Not completely understanding, Kagome tries to blink away the sudden daze she's in, if only to see what has Shizuru so upset. When Kagome sees the wound, she turns away from it and throws up nothing, heaving painfully.
From fingertips to the forearm, the flesh of Kagome's right arm is a bright and searing red, blackening towards the middle of her palm. It looks like a livid reincarnation of Miroku's wind tunnel, and that, above the pain, is what really causes Kagome's stomach to twist.
"It's fine," Kagome says, but with her own ears hears nothing. "I'm going into shock, it doesn't hurt. It's fine."
"Shut the hell up," Shizuru snaps. "Saying that shit like it'll make me feel better."
Huffing a laugh, Kagome thinks she apologizes.
"…" Shizuru looks away after she's had her fill of studying Kagome.Troublesome. Every time I think I get you… "Help me wake everyone up, then. The sooner we get inside the better."
"W-wait..."
Shizuru immediately turns to face her, expression pinched with worry.
"...I don't want Keiko to see my arm."
Shizuru can only look at Kagome, before rubbing her eyes and nodding. She goes to the boot of the car, gesturing Kagome to follow, and takes out a first aid kit. The boot's door is left extended just in case another passenger woke up.
With a pair of scissors, Shizuru cuts away the remainder of Kagome's baggy tee, leaving the girl in a singed and torn undershirt. "You shouldn't use bandages like that," she comments, just for something to say. "Just get a binder."
"I don't have a credit card," Kagome admits, almost embarrassed. She's never heard of a binder but can guess what it is with how Shizuru glares at the bandages wrapped around her chest. The wraps have compressed her torso so tightly there's bruising.
What hurts more, however, is Shizuru having to gently peel the fabric from her blistered skin. There are some spots where lint from Kagome's sweater, also ruined and removed, remains, simply because it would cause further damage to clean it off just yet.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Shizuru quietly chants, pouring one of the water bottles over Kagome's shoulder. Kagome just sways on her feet. Her arm is beginning to look like a wall riddled with water blisters, but the palm is worse. Kagome isn't even able to move her fingers. Shizuru eyes it nervously. Kagome notices.
"Don't worry about it," comes her tired voice. "I'll scrape it clean later."
Shizuru gags, and forces herself to not think aboutthat shit. After gently drying and applying the entire tube of burn ointment to Kagome's arm, Shizuru loosely winds gauze around the trembling limb. Her friend's eyes are wide and glassy, like Kagome is trying her hardest to not think.
"That's all I can do for now," Shizuru says, her voice small with helplessness. Despite her best efforts, a tear slips down her cheek. Kagome snaps to attention to watch it fall with no small amount of pity. Still, miles to go before they sleep.
"Can you carry Keiko if we have to walk?" Kagome requests. Her hands are deceptively still at her side; Kagome wants the good one to be free if needed. "She's a deep enough sleeper to not wake." At Shizuru's nod, Kagome set to calmly waking Atsuko and the Yukimura's. Murmuring a vague explanation to the adults- who, in reality, were eager to crawl out of the cramped vehicle and stretch their limbs- Kagome studies their expressions as the three parents finally get a glance of their surroundings. She's hoping the view distracts them long enough from her hidden arm and the smell of cooked flesh.
Genkai has beautiful land, really; The forest looms over them, stoic and impressive in presence alone, and only further exemplified by the night sky rising behind the treeline. There's still enough daylight to make everything out, but it will remain for maybe another half hour. Enough time for Genkai to fetch them.
"What have you done, numbskull? Why not save the forest a job and put yourself on a silver platter if you're going to fucking cook yourself?"
"Oh, Genkai," Kagome hears herself say. "Goody." Then her eyes roll back, and she slumps to the ground.
long time no see. missed you guys.