Innocent Resentment
"The feelings of those with stolen light"

Chapter 10 - Vanity: Jade Like Ocean Floor

"I can't believe it's raining." Ayumi said in dismay before turning to smile at Hojo as he opened a white umbrella and lifted it up over her head.

"I'm surprised." Hojo said. "The weatherman said it was going to be clear all day."

"I guess we'll just all hang out another day." I smiled. Nothing could bring me down. It could rain all it wanted and I'd shrug and walk right through it.

Kagome glanced away quickly and a surprise then nervous expression crossed her face. I frowned quizzically as she turned back and laughed sheepishly. "Well then…I'd better be getting home."

"Alright. Bye Kagome." Ayumi said then looked up at Hojo. "Ready?"

He nodded then looked at me and Yuka. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Hojo. Bye Ayumi." I smiled, watching them walk away. Was that what I'd be like after tomorrow? Delight danced through me at the thought and I sighed happily. Yuka threw me a quizzical look.

"Are you sure you're alright Eri? You've been on cloud nine since after lunch. You'd seemed so weird then."

I beamed in the face of her concern though I knew most of it was curiosity. But why give away the secret. She'd see seen. When I presented them all with the most prefect boy in school as my boyfriend. "Oh I'm just excited because I aced my band audition."

"Oh." Yuka lost interest quickly and turned towards her house in the opposite direction. "Well I'll see you later then."

"Later." I watched her turn the corner before opening my own green umbrella and walked down the block.

Heavy rain felling on the top of my umbrella creating a soothing drumming sound. The streets were darkened by the silver rain clouds that had rolled over the sky. Suddenly, a pair of head beams cut through humid atmosphere and I turned at the familiar car the rolled up. My walking halted and I moved closer to the curb as the car window rolled down and my mom smiled out at me.

"Mom. What are you doing here?"

She laughed. "I was at the grocery store when it started to rain so I decided to pick you up." She glanced around. "Oh. Where are your friends?"

"They went home already." I opened the passenger side door and slid inside the car, closing it behind me.

"Oh well. Let me know if you see them. Well give them a ride home too. Such lovely girls." As she pulled away from the curb onto the street again. "You'll never guess what I found at the store. I nice, diet shake mix. Just like all the models in those commercials drink."

Eri sighed suddenly at the familiar talk. Her mother was always obsessed with models and t.v. stars. Eri was sure it was because her mother use to be one. No longer young but still gorgeous Eri's mother was a sight to behold, with soft hair so dark a black that it glowed blue in the light, and big chocolate brown eyes. It was her mother's everlasting regret that Eri hadn't inherited her perfect looks but instead greatly took after her plain father. That didn't, however, stop her mother from trying to get Eri to adhere to the laws of models and celebrities. Diets, make-up, clothes, demeanor. It was no longer asfrequent as it had once been but every now and then her mother had her spontaneous attempts.

But today Eri was in good enough a mood that she didn't bother to rufuse. In fact she even smiled."That sounds great mom. We'll try it when we get home."

Her mother glanced over at her in surprise. "But you never..." Her mother smiled then. "Oh. It must be a boy."

I blushed in embaressment, surprised that she had guessed. But them my mom stilled seemed to be a teenage girl in some ways so I suppose it wasn't too surprising that she'd catch on to my first real crush…no not a crush…my soon to be boyfriend.

"Well you shouldn't get your hopes up." She said with a shrug. I looked up at her in surprise and she smiled. "After all you're no prize, Eri dear."

"Wha…what?"

"Well let's face it. Do you really think he could be interested in you? No. There was probably a mistake made. What in the world could a boy possibly want with you. You're a very unfortunate looking girl." Her mother sighed. "Despite your impressive gene pool. My mother was just as lovely as I was and so was her mother. But it just didn't reach you."

Eri couldn't believe this. Her mother had never said anything like this. She knew that her mother was disappointed because she wasn't an identical twin but she'd never…she'd never said that Eri wasn't pretty. Tears of disbelief stung her eyes.

"Mom…"

"Now your friends. They're pretty. If only one of them had been my daughter. You'll never be like them. Loved, cared for, admired. You just don't have the face for it, dear. They'll get married and you'll be stuck at home. I'm sure your father will like that though. Someone to take care of him in his old age."

No…that wasn't what would happen. It wasn't. Tears slid down my cheeks and my fingers fisted in my lap. I wanted to get out. I wanted to escape the scathing words. I tried to lift a hand to open the car door but I caught sight of my face in the glass of the window. Not pretty. Not pretty at all. I studied my eyes, puffy, red, and swollen from crying.

"Not a pretty sight." A voice purred in my ear. I wanted to turn…to see who it was but the image of myself transfixed me. "You could be pretty. You could be lovely."

How…

"Until you can learn to take what you want you'll never be cared about. You don't really have friends. They laugh behind your back. Until you get rid of the oen who's outshining you. Who's keeping your beauty subdued."

Who?

"Her." Kagome's face appeared, swimming in the glass of the window. "IF she wasn't there…"

If she wasn't there..I could be special. Her fault. It's her fault I wasn't beautiful.

"There it is. The root of your sin. Your vanity."

I wanted to be special. I wanted to be part of that world were everyone was beautiful. I'd have the perfect boyfriend I wanted. And people like that girl would want to be friends with me. That pretty girl, Momoi. I wanted to be her friend. And if Kagome was gone…if she wasn't there…I would be special.

"There! You want everyone to be special till no one is. That is the root of your sin." The voice crooned.

I felt a stinging burn on my chest and then the world became hazy. My head became to heavy for my strenth and my forhead dropped against the window. The last image that swam across my vision was the stormy sky. The clouds didn't look silver anymore...they were black.

Discord sighed as she pulled the car to a halt infront of the girl's house, twirling the follower between two fingers. "Another easy one. Honestly girls in this era are so weak." She laughed. "I really should remain in this world and be an actress. I was rather good."

Strife glanced over at her from the back seat of the car as Discord returned to her regular appearance, illusion fading away. "What do we do with her?"

Discord shrugged. "Put her in her room. Leave her here. What do I care?" She slipped out of the care and turned her back as Strife followed suit, lifting the unconscious girl gently from the passenger side. Discord looked to the house she'd stolen the car from after putting its occupants to sleep.

"She wanted to be your friend." Strife commented absently as they walked into the house and carried the girl past her slumbering family up to her room.

"So what?" Discord turned her face away and buried her nose in the heart of the blackened rose she carried as Strife tucked the girl into bed. "She only likes me because I'm pretty."

Discord watched the slumbering girl then huffed, snapping her fingers, breaking the spell over the occupants of the house then moved to the window. "Let's try a bow this time."

And slipped into the rainy darkness beyond the light of the room.