Chapter Two
Ireland was about as beautiful, green and sprawling as the pamphlets had described, though it rained a damn sight more than advertised.
The frequent downpours hadn't pleased Yuka. She'd had her heart set on marrying within the ruins of an old Abbey. Its ceilings had all caved in, allowing vegetation to climb up white stone walls. After clearing the aisles, it would've looked beautiful with some candles and decorations; provided the guarantee of good weather.
They'd now have to rent a large marquee to use on the grounds, since such an old structure wouldn't protect them from the elements.
After their rehearsal dinner, the majority of Yuka and her husband's immediate family headed towards one of the local pubs. Kagome felt somewhat touched to have been included, alongside Eri and Ayumi.
Kagome sipped her beer, glancing around at scruffy bar patrons. She knew English fairly well, but that wasn't always much help with the locals- who spoke quickly and had unfamiliar names or terms for things. Not that she disliked it. They spoke with a song in their voice and carried themselves differently than what she was used to in Japan. It was… nice. Refreshing.
Catching the eye of a stranger, Kagome blinked, before smiling.
The dark-haired man smiled back with faint curve of the lips, green eyes glinting. Her heart did a somersault.
"Kagome!"
Jolting, she looked up just as Ayumi and a tipsy Eri blocked out the handsome man's features. "I think Yuka wants to introduce you to another distant cousin. This one seems to respect personal space at least."
"Oh no, don't remind me," Kagome mumbled, sipping her drink and trying to covertly peer around her friends. "I know she doesn't mean to give me a hard time about not bringing a plus one, but I really don't need a boyfriend. I'm totally fine."
"But this ones riiichhh," Eri whined, linking arms with Ayumi and leaning against her heavily.
Ayumi giggled, steadying her. "You know there's no point in trying to convince her. Kagome's always been like this. Even when the most popular guy in school liked her- if he wasn't her type she wouldn't go there!" smiling brown eyes strayed to Kagome. "I think you'd even turn down a prince."
"Well yeah, he could be King of the World and it wouldn't make a lick of difference. Mostly I just need three things to date a guy-"
"Nice face, a big dick and money," Eri nodded sagely.
"Loyalty, honesty, and a dark- terrible attraction," blue eyes shined mischievously. "But the other stuff you mentioned wouldn't hurt either."
Eri laughed loudly and accused her of being boring, which Kagome shrugged off. She didn't fear being alone. She didn't need to rush into a relationship for the sake of having one. But it was true that weddings certainly forced people to analyse the state of their own love lives.
Kagome chewed on her bottom lip contemplatively for a moment.
Taking out a ripped magazine page from her pocket once her high-school friends had moved on to another table, she unfolded it, gazing quietly at the blackthorn tree photo. The symbol carved into it ensnared her attention.
If that funny little dream she'd had 10 years ago held any weight, apparently she'd be having a baby with a white-haired man one day.
Kagome snorted, smiling to herself. Yeah, and he'll be able to teleport through trees. Get real Kagome.
A large hand splayed on the table beside the crumpled page.
"Look to the West."
Jolting, her head whipped up- only to find keen green eyes staring down at her. The dark haired stranger from before.
"What?"
Thin lips curved. "Your friend's wedding will be held at the abbey nearby, correct? Look to the West, and you will find this tree sitting on the edge of the woods," a long, pale finger unfurled- tapping the photo.
"Oh! Thanks," Kagome smiled. She then opened and closed her mouth, hesitating- her heartbeat picking up speed. She gestured to the seat opposite, a healthy blush rising to her cheeks. "Would you like to sit down?"
Sitting up groggily in bed, Kagome sighed. Running a hand through rumpled hair, she hugged soft covers to her naked chest, glancing at the empty space beside her. Wincing, she touched her head.
How weird. She could remember spending the night with a guy, but his face kept escaping her. The texture of his hair. His smell. His touch. It was like trying to recall someone from a dream- their features murky, changing.
It didn't exactly matter: he'd already left. The only things Kagome knew for certain was that he'd given her a hangover and pleasantly sore muscles.
"I never thought I'd be the type to forget a guy's name after just one night," she sighed, pausing. Had he even told her his name? Matter of fact, the whole night felt like kind of a blur. Wait… was that normal?
Dread rose in her chest, constricting her lungs for half a second.
Had he roofied her?
No… she could remember certain things very clearly; Her enthusiasm being one of them. She knew she'd been lucid and loud. Her throat still rang sore from the volume. But it was like a filter had been placed over everything- the words and faces blurred to protect identity.
Kagome flexed her hands, frowning. She had the strangest feeling she'd wrapped her hands around sturdy antlers at some point. Maybe the pub had mounted a stag's head on the wall or something.
Feeling stickiness between her thighs, she swallowed. Ah. They hadn't used a condom. Good thing she was using birth control, not that it would protect her if he'd given her something.
Geeze, I'm not usually like this.
Padding from her hotel bedroom into the ensuite, she stepped gingerly into the shower. Lathering soap onto her hands, and wincing under the hard spray, she began washing herself- only to pause. Love bites littered her body, rendering her flesh sensitive. Small red blooms of bruising hickeys hugged her collarbone and neck like a possessive, crude necklace.
Even more alarming was something… else.
Her heart thrummed- pounding wildly.
"W-what? What the hell?"
Had she gotten a tattoo at some point? Kagome felt like she'd remember that crucial detail.
But the strange twin markings running from her lower abdomen out towards her hips didn't look like traditional needle and ink work. The magenta markings reminded Kagome of some sort of tribal tattoo- symmetrical stripes clashing against her skin, running over her pelvic bones. They weren't sore or tender. It was like they'd simply... appeared on her flesh.
No matter how hard she scrubbed (viciously. Until her skin turned raw and red) nothing would remove them.
The sense of being marked, tagged for something- like a prey animal being researched, felt pervasive. It gave her the sense of being bookmarked.
'I'll be back for you later,' the marks told her.