Innocent Resentment
"The feelings of those with stolen light"

Chapter 12 -Vanity: Dark Green

"Eri. You don't want to do this. Don't let her use you!" Kagome took a step towards her friend but Eri's eyes narrowed and the tension on the bowstring increased with an anxious groan.

"Use me? Use me?" Eri's voice was dead yet angry, as if she were some vengeful spirit. "Use me, like you did. Like you all did. That's all I was every good for!"

And then the arrow was released and Kagome managed a bitten of yell as she dived out of the way, felling the tip of the shaft pass a half an inch over head, close enough that it send a few strands of dark hair fluttering to the ground. But her mind was focused around Eri.

Use her? What did she mean?

There was the sound of footsteps and then a pair of ankles appeared in the line of her vision. Kagome lifted her head to see Eri standing over her; another arrow set in the bow and aimed towards her head.

"Eri, I don't understand."

"Of course you don't! None of you ever did! I was a puppet for you all! Because I wasn't as pretty, as wonderful as the rest of you! You all laughed at me!" Kagome snatched herself out of the way as Eri released again, rough movement causing her to skid over the hard ground of the roof, scratching her shoulder and arm.

"We never laughed at you." Kagome said but it came out no more then a whisper.

"They all did! But you were the worst! You with you perfect, secret boyfriend and your flawless face. You were the perfect example of what I would never be!"

"Eri..." Kagome pushed to her feet "What is it you think you can't be!"

"Beautiful!" And another arrow was fired, skimming Kagome's shoulder, over the same place she scratched it against the ground. The priestess flinched but didn't move.

"But you are E-"

"Liar! How dare you! How dare you mock me! You who never know what it's like to look in the mirror and hate what you see! To watch everyone around you blossom into roses while you're a weed!"

"Eri you were always pretty! Not just outside but inside too. But how pretty will you be if you kill me Eri?"

"Everything...everything will be better if I kill you." Her friend's fingers trembled where they clutched the bow with grim determination. "Then I can be lovely and loved and admired."

"But you're loved now Eri! And anyone who can't see how beautiful you are isn't someone you want to love you, anyway! Will you really be able to look at yourself in the mirror if you do this Eri? Is this something you want to be admired for?"

"I just wanted...to be pretty...special." Eri said doubtfully.

"But Eri, you already are." Kagome took another step forward relieved when Eri's eyes didn't turn to ice again though her friend did retreat a step. "You're the best violinist in school, you get straight As, and you still have time to help the rest of us with school too. At the 5th grade dance you spent all your time helping Yuka with her outfit rather then worrying about yourself. You are special."

"But..." Her voice trembled softly and the dark glare in her eyes faded to give way to a look, heart breaking in it's fear and pain.

Kagome straightened and offered a hand out to her. "And I'll try to tell you more often, Eri. That you're beautiful. You always have been."

Eri's hands tightened around the bow and then released, weapon slipping from her fingers and falling to the ground. Tears gathered in her friend's eyes as it fell and a sound like breaking glass filled the air as cracks sliced up the bow and then it shattered into crimson dust. Eri's eyes closed and she crumpled to the ground. Kagome drew her hand back and went to her friend's side, but like Ayumi had been she seemed fine.

A steady clapping filled the air, dry and mocking.

"Bravo. Two for two; I'm quite impressed." The voice was honey and familiar. Kagome lifted her eyes to see Discord had presented herself again. "And I thought you'd loose this time. I'm so disappointed."

"Why are you doing this, Discord?"

"Didn't we have this conversation before Kagome? You're getting tedious. And I just complimented you. The polite thing to do would be to say thank you."

"Don't you feel even the least bit bad for playing with them this way?"

Discord's eyes narrowed to sapphire slits. "Not even a little bit. You have no idea what game your playing, priestess." She shrugged and turned her face away. "At any rate I'm doing them a service. Allowing them to vent their emotions with no fear of negative reactions."

"That's not your right!" Kagome shrieked at her.

"I'm no worse then you are. Remember I simply call up the feelings; you planted them in the first place. Don't become angry with me simply because I acknowledge my actions. You'd do better to take note of your own. After all..." she smiled, cruelly. "Just how honest are you with your friends? They're just as much puppets to you as they are to me." She turned away again. "Strife."

The girls' brother appeared again; from thin air it seemed and lifted his sister into his arms. Discord threw Kagome a smirking look, lifting a hand and holding up three slender fingers. She folded two down, lingering long enough to leave the final warning and then she and Strife disappeared. Kagome closed her hands over the jar of jewel shards. Discord wasn't going to stop. She was going to keep playing with her friends. But she'd already failed with Ayumi and Eri, which meant...that meant she was going to go after Yuka!

There was the sound of a groan behind her and Kagome turned to see Eri stirring faintly. She gasped then returned to her friend's side again.

And on the pile of crimson dust formed by the bow rested a black flower, which trembled in the breeze that swept over the school roof then crumbled upon itself and swirled away into the distance.