"Hey friends, this video is going to be a little different."
This was the fourth time she'd said those words; at least this time it wasn't in between sobs and only spoken through the attempt to keep them at bay. No makeup was on her face, as she didn't see the point if she was just going to ruin it with her tears. Dressed in a burgundy turtleneck, hair up in a messy top knot, she pulled her sleeves over her hands with a sniffle.
"Some of you have been asking how Kouga and I are doing...and-" There it was, a choked sob as she closed her eyes, letting yet another tear fall from them. Swallowing back as much as she could, Kagome gathered enough strength to say the next words with a bit more coherence and confidence, "And I am here to let you know that we have, in fact...broken up."
A part of her felt stupid, sitting alone in a room while talking to no one but a camera in front of her. Lifting her sleeve-covered hand, she wiped that stray tear from her cheek with another wet sniffled, "I-I want you all to know that it was a mutual decision-" A lie. A big, fat lie; but, the two of them had decided it was best to say that to keep both reputations intact and fan bases from causing some sort of scene. The last thing either of them wanted was for there to be more drama than necessary - one of the only things Kagome agreed with, "And that Kouga and I intend to stay friends-"
Another lie. Kagome didn't know if she would ever be able to be friends with Kouga after what he did - after what he said. A three-year relationship that ended in a way that Kagome had never expected, with her then-boyfriend confessing that he'd never intended to marry her. That their time had come to go separate ways.
"I can't marry a human."
The words repeated over and over again in her head, echoing through her broken heart loud enough to leave a crack that spread wider and wider each time she thought of it. It was because of their yōkai/ human relationship that had so many people interested in their life. They had come from completely different worlds and faced countless instances of prejudice, just to stay true to one another.
But it had all been a game to Kouga, even though he promised that it wasn't; that he truly did love her and, should she have been yōkai, he would have married her much earlier.
"I don't want anyone sending hate or negative comments his way-" So typical of her, taking the high road to the point where she was practically trampled over by those who chose to abuse that, "And I would ask that you respect our privacy during this time; this wasn't easy for either of us, but it's for the best."
Every other word or so, she would have to draw in a shaky breath, releasing it with the attempt to keep tears at bay but failing miserably, "I'm probably going to take a bit of a break from everything, so if you don't see any posts from me, that's why." Again, she lifted her hand and wiped away some tears from her eyes, only to be replaced with fresh ones.
"Uhm, I don't know how to end this," a melancholy chuckle left her, easily taken over by a choked sob followed by a sniffle "I guess...thank you for watching and I'll see you next time."
No usual wave, no goodbye. It would be a jarring sight for most of her followers to see, as typically Kagome was filled with a brightness that was magnetic to most. Always seeing the bright side of things, she offered a safe place for her followers to escape to if they needed to take their mind off things. But, she felt as though they needed an explanation, something more than an Instagram or Twitter post. Their relationship had been extremely public and she couldn't count how many times a post of theirs had the hashtag #couplegoals littered in her comment section.
Pressing the record button a second time to stop the camera from rolling, she let her tears free; deep, gasping sobs and hiccuped whimpers left her over and over again. They bruised her chest and stung her eyes.
"I didn't think I could cry anymore."
The thought was fleeting as managed to gather herself enough to climb to her feet, reaching toward the camera to grab the SD card and place it in her jean pocket. It wasn't long after that she forced herself to head out of her filming room. Boxes were piled against the walls, leaving it looking bare aside from her camera and light set up that would be packed up the next day.
Walking into the hallway, she ran her hand over the walls as if trying to hold onto a minuscule remnant of the relationship that had been built within them. This wasn't her home anymore, she needed to make a new one, needed to start from square one.
"You're still young," her mother had said, attempting to cheer her up while also being more than empathetic to her daughter's situation. Yes, she was young, barely twenty-three, but she'd thought that she'd found the person she would spend the rest of her life with.
A large adjustment was put in front of her, needing to maneuver being single for the first time in her twenties. Not only that but single for the first time since she'd started her career. Kouga had made countless appearances in her videos and Instagram, becoming a part of her identity. A part of her identity that had been ripped from her without warning, leaving a hole so wide that she was scared she'd lose herself to it completely.
One last shaky sigh left her as she slid on her shoes and pulled on her jacket to leave. The movers would be there in the morning, but she couldn't bear to stay the night - too many sharp-edged memories holding the possibility of ripping fresh wounds. Grabbing her keys, she opened the door and stepped out, locking it behind her as if trying to lock up her heart from any more pain. How long would she keep that door locked? At that moment, Kagome felt it may just be forever.
Making it to her car, she slid into the driver's seat and placed her hands on the wheel but didn't put the key in the ignition. For a few moments, she just stayed seated there, looking at her hands gripping the wheel as her knuckles turned white. As sad as she was, buried deep beneath it was a bedrock of anger. It took her a moment to realize she was screaming obscenities while punching her hands against the wheel, "You fucking jerk!" she shrieked, gripping the wheel and shaking it as if she wanted it to come off. Though no one was watching, a glow of blue light shone around her, emanating energy that burst and coated the inside of her car.
All of this completely unbeknownst to her as her tantrum came to an end with deep, gasping breaths, hands back to where they were on the wheel. Leaning her head back against the seat, she drew in one more long breath, filling her lungs to their capacity before releasing it to empty them completely. Looking to the keys in her purse, she finally grabbed them and put the correct one into the ignition; turning it, the car revved up but never started, making a weird clicking noise before shutting off completely. Trying again, she turned the ignition and all she got was the same sound before the car shut off once again.
"You've gotta be kidding me-" she whined, leaning forward to rest her head against the wheel before half hazard hitting against it a few times. Opening her car door, she stepped out to pull her phone from her pocket. With one arm crossed against her body in an attempt to hug herself, she scrolled through her contacts before hitting Sango's name, lovingly put in as 'Sister' with a heart emoji placed beside it.
"Hey. Yeah. I'm fine-" she began to wander aimlessly throughout the parking garage, though stayed near to the entrance as not to drop the call through a loss of signal, "I was just...filming that video." another pause on her end as Sango's reassuring words tried to break through the fake neutrality Kagome projected, "Thank you. Hey, can I ask you a favour? For some reason, my car won't start. Can you come pick me up?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Sango stated she would be there in ten minutes and to wait out front, "Thank you. Yeah. No! You don't have to do that, really!" The offer of taking her out to drinks was put on the table - well, more like a command presented as an offer. Typical Sango, not taking 'no' for an answer. Conceding with a heavy sigh, Kagome agreed, "Okay, fine. I'll see you soon."
Kagome didn't remember much of the night before and she would rather have kept it that way. However, judging by the pounding headache and churning in her gut, it must have been a somewhat successful night by Sango's standards. Groaning, she opened her eyes to find herself laying on a couch; a few more blinks and she realized it was Sango's living room. Slowly, she struggled to a seated position, immediately placing her hand on her forehead and closing her eyes tightly to not let anymore light in, "God, my head..." she whimpered, brave enough to crack one eye open so she could climb to her feet and head towards the kitchen.
Sango's apartment was like a second home to her, just as hers had been for Sango, and she easily made herself at home by grabbing a glass and filling it with water. Chugging it down like it was the only thing keeping her alive, she filled a second glass and did the same thing. Releasing a loud gasp, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, realizing that she was in one of Sango's shirts and a pair of shorts. Grabbing one more full glass, she headed towards the bathroom, only to see Sango leaving her room with the same look of death as Kagome herself.
"Morning..." Sango croaked, running a hand through her mussed up hair, "You don't look so good."
"I could say the same to you," Kagome deflected as she walked into the bathroom and grabbed a pill bottle. Shaking two pills into her hand, she passed them to Sango before shaking out two more and popping them in her mouth.
"Do you remember anything?" Sango asked as she walked towards the kitchen to grab her own tall glass of water, "Because I don't."
"Nope. The last thing I remember is meeting up with Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi at that new club, getting shots and then nothing," it was clear that Kagome still felt as though she was the walking dead at that point, voice dry and tired as she met Sango in the kitchen. Then a thought hit her, a terrifying thought that only someone of this decade would understand. With a sharp gasp and wide eyes, she gripped her friend's shoulder, "Oh my god. Sango. Where is my phone? Did I-"
"I took it from you, remember? I think it's still in my bag."
A sigh of relief, genuine and deep, was Kagome's reply, "Oh, right. Thank the lord," She lifted her hand to place it against her heart as if she were trying to calm it that way. The last thing she wanted was to know she had drunk texted her ex, which it seemed like she'd tried to, by what her friend was saying.
Sango chugged back a second glass of water before turning around and leaning against the counter, "You're welcome," she sang with a slight smirk, crossing her arms over her chest while still holding her glass in one of her hands.
"Where would I be without you?" Kagome replied lightly, offering her first small smile in the last few days. Catching a glimpse of the time in the stove clock, she gasped once again, "Oh no! No! No! No! I have to go! Where are my clothes?!"
Running towards Sango's room, she rummaged through her friend's purse that was laying on the floor by her closet and grabbed her phone, seeing a missed call from the moving company, "Shit," she hissed before hitting the call button and pressing her phone to her ear, "Hi! Yes! So sorry, I'll be there in twenty minutes! Okay. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Bye."
Scanning the room, she was about to call out to Sango to ask where her clothes were when she saw them sitting on a chair in the corner of the bedroom. Every movement was frantic, grabbing the pile and realizing it reeked of alcohol, "Why..." she groaned, seeing Sango walk into the bedroom.
"Hey, is everything o-" she stopped her sentence short when she noticed Kagome holding her clothes with a defeated expression on her face, "Oh right. You spilled all over yourself. Do you need to borrow some clothes?"
With an emphatic nod, she easily replied to Sango, "Please. I'm sorry. I forgot the movers were coming today and they're already at the apartment-" then another realization came to mind, "And I don't have a car!" Trying to defuse the situation, Sango placed a grounding touch to Kagome's shoulder, gripping slightly.
"It's okay. I can drive you - do we need to go now?" A curt nod from Kagome was the answer, "Alright, let's just get dressed and we'll head out."
"Thank you, Sango," Kagome's tone was melancholy but very authentic in nature. On impulse, Kagome felt herself being pulled for a tight embrace only to immediately sink into it, "I don't know where I'd be without you." The words were muffled as Kagome pressed her head into her friend's shoulder, wrapping her own arms around her friend's waist.
"I'm here for you every step of the way, okay?" Above all others, Sango knew Kagome and Kouga's relationship best, as herself and her boyfriend Miroku would often go on double dates with them. They'd always seemed to get along fine, but there was more to it than that.
From Sango's point of view, Kouga and Kagome were ever meant to last, as there were warning signs that had popped up during their relationship. What people saw online was not the same as reality, especially when it came to just how in love Kouga seemed to be with Kagome. Why was it that she had never met his parents? Or any of his closest friends? It made Sango worry, but Kagome was too blinded to realize. Only a few times did Sango broach the subject, with Kagome dismissing it and making up some sort of excuse. However, even though she'd turned out to be right, Sango knew better than to say 'I told you so' - maybe in the future, but not right now.
As they drove towards the apartment building, Kagome thanked Sango once again out of habit. Now, all she had to do was pack up her filming equipment, give the keys back to the landlord and-
"What am I gonna do about my car?" she breathed, as though she hadn't meant to speak the words out loud. Without taking her eyes off the road, Sango replied with a reassurance that only a best friend or family could give.
"Let me handle it," Kagome looked to Sango with a sense of confusion, feeling a pang of guilt knowing that Sango would be doing more than she had asked. It was then that Sango took a glance towards her friend, "I called Miroku while you were in the shower; he has a friend who's a mechanic and he said he'd pull some strings. I think the guy owes him a favor or something."
There she was, seemingly always getting Kagome out of trouble. Ever since they were kids, Sango had always been the older sister figure to Kagome, the younger always following behind like an adorable shadow. Sango never complained, not once, and never made Kagome feel as though she was a burden. What Sango had in support, Kagome had just as much, though in different ways. Kagome was a great listener, always had been, and was selfless almost to a fault, willing to give the shirt off her back to someone if she felt they needed it more than her. She was also a good talker, able to carry on a conversation forever, if necessary. It seemed like the girl could find anything to talk about and somehow make it compelling.
At times, Sango had lacked tact and often would get in fights with the neighbourhood kids, but Kagome always managed to talk the two of them out of it somehow. They had each other's backs, just as they always did and always would - now was one of those times.
"Sango..." Kagome mused, offering her friend a smile that seemed too rare for the last week, "I don't know how to thank you enough."
"You don't have to. You don't owe me anything, alright?" It was a firm tone, finalizing the conversation and making it obvious that it wasn't up for discussion, "You just focus on getting your shit out there so you can move on with your life."
Pulling up to the front of the building and putting the car in park, Sango pulled out her phone to already see a text from her boyfriend, "Miroku says the tow truck will be here in the hour. I'll tell him to text you the address of the car shop."
"Thanks. You still have a spare fob to get in the parking lot?" Kagome asked only to see Sango lift her key chain, holding the fob and jingling her keys, "Perfect. Make sure you give that to me later, I have to give it to the landlord."
"Alright, let me know if you need a ride to your mom's place later - that's where you're staying right?"
"Just until the weekend, then I have my new place lined up."
"Right. Okay! Well, I'll be here if you need anything," Sango once again offering her support. The girls gave each other a one-armed hug goodbye before Kagome climbed out of the car and jogged towards the movers, apologizing profusely.
It was pissing rain, not exactly the best conditions to run any errands, but when the mechanic shop called and said her car was ready, she knew she had to go pick it up. The entire taxi ride, she stared blankly out of the window, being gently rocked and soothed by the motion of soft jostling. She didn't make an effort, hair hanging loosely around her shoulders with an oversized sweatshirt and some leggings. Her plan was to grab her car and go straight back to her mom's place to continue her sadness induced Netflix binge, that was it.
"Miss?" The taxi driver's voice brought her out of her daze, turning to look at him with a start before he continued, "We're here."
Taking her wallet from her purse, she handed him her credit card, quickly charging her the amount on the meter. With a quick thanks, Kagome took her card back and climbed out of the car before jogging to the front door in an attempt to not get too wet.
"Why didn't I bring an umbrella?" the murmur was just below her breath, reaching for the door with a sleeve-covered hand and pulling it open. In front of her was the receptionist's desk, though it seemed unoccupied. Yet, when she got closer, a woman walked out of what seemed like a back room. She was wearing a simple black t-shirt and a pair of ripped skinny jeans, her ginger hair tied up in two pigtails atop her head. There was a welcoming smile on her face when she noticed Kagome leaning on the counter.
"Hi! What can I do ya for?" It was more chipper than Kagome had anticipated, but had her giving a warm smile in return.
"I'm here to pick up my car, it should be under Higurashi."
"For sure! Let me just take a peek here..." the girl's voice trailed off as she typed and clicked a few times, a look of confusion on her face, "Hmmm, I don't see it here," she mused. Yet, before herself or Kagome could really react, a gruff voice called from the shop.
"It's under Miroku - you're the girl with the Audi, right?" Walking through the large, open door from the garage to the reception area, was a rather tall (well, tall by Kagome's five-foot standards) silver-haired man wearing a white tank top and the top half of his blue jumper tied around his waist. His hair was tied back into a low ponytail and a red cap sat backward on his head. With amber eyes, he seemed to have an intense stare to them even if he hadn't intended to. On his left arm was a full sleeve of something that Kagome couldn't quite make out just yet. She didn't know why, but it had taken her by surprise; she didn't know what to expect but she did not expect him.
"Uh," she gathered herself and mentally picked her jaw up from off the floor before finally giving him a response, "Yeah! Yeah. That's me."
"Damnit. Why did I decide today to look homeless?"
That amber gaze narrowed some, arms folding across his chest as he canted his head to the side slightly, "You sure about that? Seems like it took you a second." His tone was condescending, throwing Kagome off slightly. What she couldn't see was his receptionist rolling her eyes and mumbling to herself 'and here we go'.
"Sorry, I'm just a little out of sorts - the rain can do that to you," she tried to lighten the mood, even offering a small, nervous chuckle.
"No idea what you're talkin' about, lady. Let's just discuss your car, alright? It's over here if you wanna follow me, can you do that?" he asked, again holding a condescending tone which finally had hit a nerve within Kagome.
"I'm sorry?" her tone was more abrasive now.
"This guy is friends with Miroku? Talk about opposites attract."
"You know, 'cause you seem a little slow to start there. What with the rain and all," he mocked before turning and walking towards the back of the garage. It left Kagome with her jaw slightly agape out of shock, as well as trying to find the right words to say in response. Instead, she simply bit her tongue, closing her eyes for a moment before finally following him.
"Take the high road, Kagome. It's not worth it. Just get your car and leave."
Walking up to the car, he popped the hood and waited for her to join him before going into what happened to her car, "Your battery completely died. I mean completely. There was no way to jump it, so I had to give it a new one." Kagome looked down at where he was pointing, seeing a fresh battery hooked up to the car, the print on the label crisp and clear, "I don't know what the hell you could have done to drain a battery like that, but maybe don't next time."
If looks could kill, Kagome was about to commit murder, staring down the man with her jaw clenched, "Is that all?" Each word had a point to it, all directed to the man standing beside her.
"Yup. Kind of a waste my time, to be honest. If you knew anything about cars, you could have gone out bought and installed a battery yourself. But I guess I shouldn't expect much."
"Now look here, buster-" her voice held a growl within it, "I don't know what kind of stick is up your ass, but if you weren't Miroku's friend, I would ask to speak to your superior about just how much of an absolute jerk you are!"
The outburst only had the man smirking, "Can't go up higher than me. I own this shop. So go ahead, do your worst."
"Wow," it was long, drawn out in disbelief that someone would conduct their business in such a hostile fashion and still have customers. Her arms folded across her chest then, putting up a rather defensive stance, "How you're still on business is beyond me." Her own gaze narrowed then, speaking at a low volume and a genuinely ponderous tone.
An eye roll was her response before he closed the hood and made his way to the driver's side, "I'll meet you out front."
It shifted to a more confident and agitated one for her next statement, "Where can I pay so I can get out of here?"
There was no dampening of his ego, no shift in his pride as he opened the driver's side door, prepared to slide in before she had asked her question, "Told Miroku you wouldn't have to pay," he stated, seeing Kagome's face soften somewhat, only to harden again at he continued, "But if I knew it was for someone like you, I would have asked to double it."
Eyes widened at his statement, only to thin out into a familiar glare before she tensed her shoulders and clenched her fists at her sides, "And what the hell is "someone like me" supposed to mean? You're the one who's been a complete dick to me this whole time for no reason!" To emphasize her point, she lifted a finger towards him, "What the hell is your problem?!" She was basically yelling now, voice slightly strained - this was the last thing she needed, especially now.
"Someone who has her parent's money to take care of her! There's no way someone your age could afford a car like this - are you kidding me?!" The man's voice was close to matching hers now, leaning forward against the car, "Or is was it with your sugar daddy's money?"
The audacity of the man, her chest completely clenched with the threat of frustrated tears that she managed to keep at bay, "Not that it's any if your business but I paid for this car with my own money!" She turned then, practically stomping towards the reception area, only to turn around and scream at him, "You're such a jerk!"
It seemed that finally got some sort of reaction out of him, the silver-haired man flinching and ducking behind the car somewhat before opening the car door and sliding in while mumbling, "What's her problem..." as if he hadn't been the one to completely antagonize her.
Waiting just outside, it continued to downpour but, if you looked closely enough, you'd think it was turning to steam with just how hot Kagome was running at the moment. She hadn't been that frustrated in a long time - maybe frustrated wasn't the right words. Infuriated? Yes. That fit much better. Her ears burned with offense and insult at him even suggesting those things.
How the hell was this guy friends with Miroku?
Seeing him pull up with her car, she watched him climb out, walking through the rain like it meant nothing, and hand her the keys. With a swift motion of her hand, she snatched them from him before giving him one last glare. Even though all of her rage, she still remembered her manners, "Thanks."
"Whatever," was his reply before walking back through the garage. Kagome's gaze followed him until she couldn't see him, mentally attempting to burn holes in the back of his head.
After a long, deep breath, she gathered herself and jogged towards the car, sliding in the driver's side and putting the key in the ignition. Turning on the car, it started immediately, engine revving as she put it in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.
"What a prick."