Kagome managed to make it through the rest of the day without seeing her mystery man and was quite relieved. Her head was still spinning with images of those empty amber eyes locked on hers. Kagome sighed and adjusted the pile of books that she held in her arms as she walked across the commons back to her dorm room. Sango had gone off with one of her other friends and Kagome was feeling rather lonely. She turned a corner and was met with a sight that would remain etched in her memory forever.
It was him. He was standing beneath the cherry tree, his long hair blowing in the breeze and the setting sun behind him lending him a halo that couldn't ever be truly his. The amber eyes were hidden in shadow and his hands were clenched into fists. His silhouetted shoulders shook and a single silver tear slipped down his cheek. Suddenly, he fell to his knees, and hunched over as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Kagome gasped and nearly dropped the pile of books, which would have exposed her. She quickly moved around a large hedge and set them down. She peered around the greenery and watched with large eyes as the scene before her unfolded.
His mouth twisted into a snarl and he slashed at an invisible foe with claws that glinted in the suns dying rays. Kagome was startled at the rage she felt coming off of him in waves and the pure sadness that underscored that. Her mental acuity had always made her vulnerable, but now it was as if she was drowning in the tidal surge of rage. She threw her hands up as if to block the pain but it bowled her over. Kagome landed on her back against the hard ground with the wind knocked out of her. A gust of wind came out of nowhere and it took the remainder of Kagome's breath away. She lay there gasping for precious air, her eyes wide and terrified and her entire body tingling with psychic awareness.
At last, the rage died down, and in its place a numbing sadness grew. Kagome fought to keep the tears from her eyes as she empathetically felt all the sadness that was hidden behind those empty amber eyes. Kagome fought hard against this onslaught and managed to rebuild some of her shattered mental barriers. After a moment, she had most of them rebuilt and her mind was her own again. She made a mental note never to come by the cherry tree at this time again and slowly pulled herself up off the ground. She gathered up her scattered books and stood up. She rounded the hedge and looked back at him. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground with a blank expression on his face and his hands hidden in the long sleeves of his red sweater.
Kagome brushed away a stray tear and she shook herself mentally and physically. Kagome pulled her hair out of it's ponytail and let it fall around her face, framing it with soft layers. "Jesus," she whispered, "why does he keep it all bottled up like that?"