Reasons
Summary: She was running away. Running away from the past, from her present, from her failures. When she lost everyone important, everyone who mattered, she lost her reasons to live...a glowing gold butterfly is hoping to help her find it again.
Anime/Movie: InuYasha/Encanto
Genre: Romance/Family (Hurt/Comfort)
Pairing: Kagome (17)/Camilo (16)
AN: The song used in this fic is a COVER of Ruel's "Hard Sometimes" by Dahlia. Please be sure to listen and like the song. She is such a lovely singer. Anytime I incorporate a song into the story, I will try to find someone who sings it in the way I would envision Kagome singing it.
-x-x-x-
(Tokyo, Japan)
"You're sure that you want to sell the property?"
Kagome tightened her fingers around the pen she held while sitting at the dining room table. It had been a long three weeks of tying loose ends. It sounded crappy saying it like that, but it's how the lawyer had worded it. There were three gentlemen across from her. A certified Public Accountant, an Estate Lawyer, and of course, the attorney hired to oversee everything. Thanks to these three, she was able to get everything squared away neatly, a funeral was held, and the funds came from a savings and life insurance policy that, quite frankly, Kagome had known nothing about. "...I don't think I'll be coming back."
"Where will you go?"
Kagome looked pointedly to a stack of travel guides and translating books piled on the corner of the table. "The destination, for now, is Brazil." This was where her butterfly companion had been hinting over the last couple of weeks. When she asked for a sign, she got one. Well, manny. The flighty character would guide her towards book stands and magazine stands, settling on anything travel-related. Most were South American Tour Guides, but recently, this last week specifically, it had been pressing for translating Japanese to Spanish books. Like she knew a word of Spanish.
"Higurashi-San, how will we get ahold of you once the property is sold?"
"...I'll have my phone."
"Indeed." The attorney gathered the papers into a file, neatly compiling all of what was gone over today. "When are you planning to depart? You've not prepared for travel, so can I expect you'll be around for a minimum of eight weeks?"
"Eight weeks?!" Kagome stood up, not quite pleased at the thought of someone telling her to stick around longer than she'd anticipated. "Why eight weeks?"
Clearing his throat, he ignored the Estate Lawyer and Public Accountant as they both looked back at him. "You plan to travel, yet you have never done so before. Do you have a passport? No? I suspect you haven't thought that far ahead, considering the circumstances you've decided to leave. Simply put, it'll take between eight to twelve weeks to get your first passport. If you'd at least traveled before, it would take six to eight weeks for a renewal. Higurashi-San, traveling out of the country isn't like a field trip to a museum. Prepare yourself some."
"...then, I guess I'll be around for another eight weeks...or twelve."
Nodding, he stood, the other two copying the motion in silence. Kagome watched the three men as she walked them out to the shrine steps. Between installing new flooring for the Sunset Shrine and holding a funeral for her family... well, Kagome could see how she hadn't thought so far ahead. She'd been distracted. Returning to the kitchen, she sat down at the table and pulled her laptop over. Searching the steps to acquire a passport. Closing her eyes, she muttered under her breath about another list. Like anything could be easy.
-x-x-x-
(Somewhere in Colombia)
Antonio peered from the tree he was hiding in. Beside him, his Jaguar friend lay sleeping with his head on Antonio's lap. Why was he hiding? Well, he wasn't really hiding. He was watching. Watching his Prima Mirabel and Hermano Camilo, most importantly, he was watching his Abuela and Tio Bruno. Ducking back quickly out of sight when Dolores glanced his way. 'Not like she can't hear me,' He leaned forward again and glanced toward Camilo.
Camilo was holding a baby, rocking her gently while the dad was farming and the mom was weaving clothes for the coming winter. Since neither could be with their baby, it was up to Camilo to play both parents until they came back. But he wasn't quite there today. He was sitting on the bench, not as the mom or father, but as Camilo. His eyes weren't staring down at the baby who was gurgling unknown words in his arms but looking off down the Encanto's street. He looked to be waiting. Waiting for someone or something... Antonio wasn't sure.
Looking away from Camilo, he turned to another part of the Encanto. Mirabel stood beside Luisa, helping develop designs for better and more practical fencing for the donkeys. The kids assisted with tying the new fence at the cross-sections with thick and sturdy twine. Everyone was doing their part. He watched as Mirabel looked away for a brief moment, going unnoticed by anyone not spying on her. She stared across the way at her mother. Tio Julietta was another problem altogether. She could make anyone and everyone healthy and fix their ailments and injuries with her cooking, but lately, she didn't look to be doing all that well. Today, for instance. She was sitting down in a chair; Tio Agustin was next to her, helping with handing out Arepas to the townsfolk. Mirabel quickly looked back to the fencing project and smiled and laughed, and nothing appeared wrong.
Abuela... Antonio found her easily. In the town, she spoke with a family who had a young daughter around Mirabel's and Camilo's age. He couldn't help but shake his head. The last time his Abuela had tried to set up one of her grandchildren, well, it didn't go so well. Albeit, she was only talking. Camilo was freshly turned sixteen. He didn't care to get married yet and wasn't in a hurry to get a girlfriend, or that's how it looked to Antonio. He wasn't even aware that their Abuela was talking to families with daughters his age. Antonio frowned, "I hope I never grow up." He jumped and scooted back again as Dolores turned again in his direction. She was helping her mother with one thing or another, probably gossiping if Antonio knew his Hermana like he knew he did.
Then there was Tio Bruno. To Antonio, Tio Bruno was like an awkward superhero who'd just appeared out of nowhere and somehow made everything make sense. He gave Mirabel what she needed to save the family. He gave Antonio's Mami what she needed just to be herself. He was a missing piece necessary for this chaotic family, and like a superhero, he was needed. Certainly, not all news was good news, but they would get through it together. Right now, his awkward Tio was ducking out of everyone's line of sight. He'd been given strict no-vision instructions. Well, Antonio could honestly say he wasn't listening. Not that he was going to tell anyone. Tio Bruno wanted to watch out for the family, which was the only way he knew how to.
All in all, Antonio couldn't help but feel as if his family was more complex now than before. When no one acknowledged their problems, it was tense, and everyone was always walking on eggshells, watching what they said or how they acted. Now, everyone is figuring out their problems, what it is that's hurting them, and how. No longer walking on eggshells to keep from stepping out of line, now everyone was walking on eggshells to avoid hurting someone. Nothing really changed, just the reason why people did what they did had changed. His family was still learning. They still needed help.
Nudging his friend, the Jaguar yawned and stretched as it crouched and allowed Antonio to climb up. They were gone before anyone noticed them.
-x-x-x-
(Tokyo, Japan)
A heavy knocking sounded from Kagome's front door. She barely spared a glance in that direction, however. Listening, she waited for the pounding to stop.
"Kagome!"
"Kagome, let us in!"
Since her family's funeral, they've come to her home every day after school. She didn't want to see them. It wasn't even just them. However, they were the ones trying to force their help on her. She didn't want it. Somehow, when there was a problem, they always turned it around so that it was their problem. It wasn't. This wasn't something that could be fixed with a bunch of carelessly spoken girls saying what they thought Kagome wanted to hear. She didn't want it.
"Kagome!"
She pulled her legs into her chest and buried her head in her arms. 'I don't need this kind of help.'
It finally grew silent. Glancing up over her arms, she stood up and moved closer to her door. Listening, she relaxed when she no longer heard the four outside her door. Still, she didn't dare open it. Kagome returned to her room and turned her light off before leaning back against her closed door. Eyes slipping towards a photo on her bedside table, she choked out another fresh set of tears, as if she hadn't cried enough. "I'm waking up my mind... I'm just trying to kill the silence..." breathless, her voice fell softly in the quiet room. "I'm ripping off the blinds, I'm just trying to let some light in. But I've been on the road, I've been missing home, see it on my phone that the world back there Keeps spinning 'round without me."
Sitting on her bed, she fell back and looked up at her ceiling. Rolling over onto her side, she locked her eyes with her moms. A picture of her, Souta, her mom, and grandad sat next to one of her with her friends.
"I'm waking up my mind, I'm ripping off the blinds. Oh I~I try to be happy but it's hard sometimes..." closing her eyes, she brought her fingers to her eyes as she brushed away the tears that wouldn't stop falling. "But life~ just seems to happen right before my eyes. 'Cause I feel like I'm not there. 'Cause my head is up somewhere. Far away from all my friends...I just want that back again...Oh I~I try to be happy but it's hard sometimes... It's hard sometimes."
-x-x-x-
(Tokyo Police Department)
"Are you still looking into that slaughter a couple of months ago?"
Miyamoto stopped what he was doing and turned to face one of the younger officers. "Yes, the case is still open."
Nodding, the officer tossed a file on his desk, "then you may be interested in this. A reported slaughter at another shrine. Not unlike the Sunset Shrine Murders, only there were no survivors." He sighed, "if I was that Higurashi girl, I wouldn't stick around for this creep to come hunting me down. I would have bailed a while ago."
Waving the younger officer off, Miyamoto watched him leave before picking up the file and reading it over. A slow smile slipped across his lips, and his eyes flashed red before going back to normal. "I'm sure she wants to."
-x-x-x-
Me: Here is chapter five of Reasons. I wanted to get this chapter out, but we're training this new guy, and it's taking away from my typing. Like, the audacity, making me work...at work... ... okay, well, anyways! I hope you all enjoyed it! Also, I'm not sure how many of you have seen Helluva Boss or Hazbin Hotel "Pilot" Episode, but I really want to write a Hazbin Hotel/InuYasha fic...sigh... if you know the shows, let me know your thoughts! I'll work on chapter six tomorrow!