Rose Clippings

by Sereia13

Kagome and Kagura live with their mother in a woodland cottage, free from the grime of the large city, so when a knock is heard at their door in the dead of winter, they can't imagine who it could be. Or how their visitor will change their lives forever.

2. Lapidary

"Come outside with me."

Kagome chuckled, sweeping the last of the dirt out the front door, Kagura currently sitting in a tree. "Why?"

"Because the sun is finally shining, and you could use the fresh air," Kagura said. Kagome sighed, gazing out at the brightly coloured leaves. Autumn was upon them, and the forest had raised its branches to meet it, only the tips of the trees still sporting green leaves.

"Please?"

Kagome laughed outright at her sister's wide eyes. "That kind of pegging only worked when we were kids."

Kagura flashed her a grin, hopping gracefully from her perch. "I seem to remember you agreeing to make that special mushroom stew last week because of it."

"Mama wanted it too!"

Kagura grabbed her hand, tugging it softly but still giving her the option to pull away. "Still worked."

Leaning her broom against the doorway, Kagome let her sister drag her out of the cottage. It wasn't that she didn't like being outside, the forest greeting her with magnificent sights every time she was, but the tightness of her chest always worsened the further she went.

She couldn't remember a time when it hadn't been there, but Kagura swore it had started the night when they'd all been huddled in Mama's bed nearly 20 years prior.

The forest was filled with creatures, but nothing had ever sounded like the one they'd heard that night. There was a level of anguish Kagome had never experienced before, and the constant gnawing kept her from venturing too far away from home.