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)
-x-x-x-
(Ten Days Later)
Kagome made sure she had everything packed up in her bag before unplugging her phone from one of the portable charges she had with her. Pocketing her phone, she lifted her hand above her eyes and sighed. "Camilo must be close. It's been pulsing a lot." She locked her eyes onto the gold thread, smiling. She adjusted the ruana she was wearing before grabbing her bike and starting through the trees. There was supposedly a beautiful river somewhere near here called the Caño Cristales. There were a handful of people who'd told her to visit it if she were to pass by. She hasn't a clue if it was along the way, but here she was, searching out a river of rainbows. Well, keeping her eyes open for it. She was just trying to make sure she made it to the Encanto that Camilo had spoken of.
The last ten days of her travel, catching rides here and there, riding her bike in-between, it'd been...fun. More than that, the things that she'd seen over the last two weeks... it was magical.
Feeling a sudden chill, Kagome spun around. Letting her bike fall to the ground, she moved her bow in front of her. Not that it looked like one at the moment. It just looked like a long stick. The string was neatly in her bag, not getting tangled or making her look threatening. No one stared at you weirdly if you had a walking stick.
Moving forward, she looked around for whatever made the sound. Her eyes locked onto...a sloth? Laying the disassembled bow down, she moved over to the animal and brought her hand up to it. Gently petting it on the head as it slowly brought up a paw, but failed to do anything threatening to her. Kagome smiled; standing, she returned to her bow and bike. Strapping the long stick to her back, she started up the path with her bike by her side.
It wouldn't be long now...
-x-x-x-
Camilo glared down at his little brother. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before shaking off his annoyance. It wasn't like he could blame Antonio for what happened, but...
"I can fix it, Milo." Mirabel held her hand out.
Pulling his ruana off, he grunted and tossed it to her. Pointedly looking at the Jaguar to his left who had caught the yellow ruana with his paw, successfully unraveling the fabric at the threads. Shaking off his annoyance, he pushed both of his hands through his hair. Catching the golden thread, he felt a tremor of pulsations for a moment and smiled. "Antonio, let's go out to the river!"
Antonio watched Mirabel run off to her room, something to do in hand. He knew she'd be distracted for the rest of the day. Turning his attention back to his Hermano, he gave him a wary glance. "What? You aren't going to push me in, are you?"
"What? No!" Camilo lifted his brother over his shoulders and held his hands as he started out of the house. Jaguar following after him, he tried to ignore it as he made his way to where his mom was. "Mamí!" He called out, grinning when he shocked her into a burst of lightning. "Mamí, I'm going to the riverside. Antonio is going with me."
"Oh, bebé, what about the Encanto?"
Waving his hand, he took off before she could say anything else about work. He would deal with the repercussions later; for now, his mom would have his back. At least, he hoped so.
"Why are we going to the river?"
"...just wanted to take a break today. I thought it might be fun. Why? You wanna stay?"
"No! I want to go too!" Antonio threw his hand out and pointed off towards the entrance of the Encanto, "Vamos!"
Off they went on their adventure. Well, it wasn't much of an adventure. Since the street of the Encanto was just the one cobblestone road leading up to a lush forest and disappearing into the dirt path that would lead them to the river. He hadn't mentioned it to Kagome. He'd considered it, but some part of him wanted there to be some element of surprise to discovering the river herself. After his Prima and Abuela returned from the river, and after a week of rebuilding Casita, they had talked nonstop about the beautiful river. Fue Hermosa. She had said. Of course, he'd been curious. The first time he'd gone to see it, he'd snuck out while it was too late to be seen. That had gotten a rise out of his parents.
No, not to say they didn't want him going. They just didn't want him going while it was too dark to see two feet in front of him. Two guesses, by the way, who told on him. The first one doesn't count. He'd been so livid with his Hermosa. She could hide his Tio Bruno from the family for ten years but couldn't keep her mouth shut over something like sneaking out. And people wonder why he's so quiet. He adapted to holding conversations inside his head since early childhood. The only reason she was keeping quiet about his reoccurring dreams of Kagome after overhearing him and Mirabel, was because he'd been paying special attention to her nighttime escapades. Oh, but was he a rat?! No. He was just clever. He could hold this over her for as long as it took his parents to learn about it or until Dolores came out and said something herself.
"Nacio is excited!"
Looking over his shoulder at the Jaguar that followed his brother around, Camilo raised a brow as it walked with an added bounce to his step. It certainly looked excited. "Probably because he's returning to his home. Not to say that you're canopy of trees isn't like a home, bro, but sometimes you need to take a walk in your real home."
"...can we go for walks more often then? You know, just you and I?"
"Sure! Though, I thought you would have wanted to go adventuring with Mira." Grinning, Camilo knocked a stone out of his way and watched it tumble towards one of the homes on the street.
"Mira can come too, sometimes, but I want to hang out with you too. You were always busy taking care of your own tasks around the Encanto; Mirabel was the only one who would play with me."
Camilo paused at the edge of the forest, lifting his brother over his head and placing him down. He knelt so that he was at eye level with him. Looking at Antonio, Camilo didn't see much of his little brother. Yeah, he saw him around, but as his older brother, he didn't hang out with him or talk with him, just acknowledged he was there. That didn't make Camilo feel all that great. "Tonitio, if you ever feel like I'm not giving you the attention you deserve... or need, for that matter, then I want you to grab me by the face, like this—" Camilo took his brother's cheeks in both hands, smooshing Antonio's face as he did, "look me right in the eyes, and tell me. "Camilo, play with me!" and no matter what I'm doing or who I'm with, I will be sure to give you the time of day. I try to notice everything that's happening around me, Tonito, but there's so much that goes on in the Encanto, I sometimes miss what's most important." His hands fell beside him. Antonio took one and smiled up at him.
"You're doing your best, and I think that's all that really matters. Still, I'll make sure to tell you when you're slacking on your brotherly duties."
"Sounds like a plan! Now, are you good with continuing on foot? I don't want to whack you with a low-hanging branch."
-x-x-x-
Kagome leaned forward. On her knees before the river, she stared down at her reflection. Casting a careful glance along the length of the river, she watched mesmerized as several golden wings fluttered lazily atop colorful plants and along the bark of trees. Her hair teased the river as it gave way to a gentle flow, following the current as she silently contemplated her next step. Kagome sat up, hearing the crunch of leaves under a light foot. Tilting her head, drips of water along her arm. Standing, she stepped quietly away from the clearing. Closer to where her bike was leaning against a tree, she listened in the shadows until a hand appeared. Watching as it pushed aside a branch with large and dense leaves on it, the figure stepped out into the sun. Kagome couldn't stop the smile from forming. The golden thread tingling along her wrist had been humming for nearly an hour, and now she understood why. He looked back, and she watched a small child step out into the clearing carefully, followed by a large Jaguar. 'Oh...wow...'
When the Jaguar gave a guttural growl, her body froze. The child glanced back at the animal.
"What's wrong?"
'He's talking to it? Camilo said that his brother could communicate with animals; that must be Antonio then.'
"Camilo! Camilo, Nacio said someone else is here!"
Kagome felt her nerves come alive, watching from the shadows as Camilo took a step forward and glanced around the clearing. His eyes scanned the fauna carefully as he tried to find whoever was hiding. Whoever...being her.
"...Kagome?"
Hearing him call her name. Knowing that she hadn't been going crazy all this time, that those dreams were real, a weight she hadn't realized she'd been holding onto seemed to fall away from her chest. Kagome took a small step out from behind the tree; her eyes sparkled under the sun, catching Camilo's. She'd finally made it.
Antonio looked in awe at her, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Rubbing at them, he turned to look up at his brother, but Camilo was smiling, looking just as stunned to be seeing her as he was. He'd intended to find some smooth stones to paint on with Mira later, but bringing home a girl from his Tio Bruno's prophecy was also good. Right? Something nagged at him as he took another look at his Hermano. '...how does he know her name?'
-x-x-x-
Me: Here is chapter 8 of Reasons Why. It's taken me a sweet minute to right this. I've been so tired at work, with everyone calling out because of the ice on the road and me covering shifts I hadn't intended to cover. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! KAGOME IS FINALLY THERE! Aaaaaand yet...not. Anyways, I love you all, see you again soon!