Chapter Two

Shivering Kagome entered the warm building, tapping her boots on the rug to dislodge any snow that had been caked in her boots. Task done she gave a smile to the woman sitting at the desk, approaching the desk she began to dig in her bag pulling out some papers.

"Hi, I'm here to drop off the paperwork for Higurashi Shrine." Instantly the small smile that had been on the receptionist's face fell, her eyes taking on a cold look as she gazed at her with barely veiled distaste.

Kagome took it in stride, she was used to this. As soon as she gave out her last name people would look at her like she was some sort of morbid science experiment. Or a car crash. She shrugged it off, her own smile still in place, she would not let hard times make her hard. Her mother had tried her best to instill that lesson into her.

"You can put it over there." The receptionist pointed at a wire basket tray to the left, nodding she placed the papers in there hoping that this time they wouldn't get 'lost'. The shrine really needed the money, she had been applying for the grant for what seemed like over half a year. After it came out that Stain was tied to the Higurashi shrine the government had stopped funding it, mostly due to public outcry.

At first it had been okay, they had a bit of savings left from when her grandfather had passed away a few years prior but quickly the money ran out and her mother had taken on two jobs to try and help ends meet. She herself had taken on a part time job as she had just recently graduated from high school and was planning on trying to get into a hero agency.

Now? Now it was just her working, sadly her mother had been fired from her jobs and pretty much black listed due to being the estranged wife of Stain. The only reason she herself hadn't fared the same fate was the fact that it was public knowledge that she had gone to UA and was actively trying to become a hero. Even with the chips stacked against her she wouldn't give up on her dream.

"Was that all?" Her tone was icy and chipped as she gazed at her like she was the dirt under her nails.

Kagome flashed the woman a smile as he nodded. "Yes, thank you. Have a good day." With that she turned on her heel and left the building, her body shivering as the drop in temperature wrapped around her in a cold embrace.

Missing her red scarf she shrugged her shoulders, she'd just have to buy another one...maybe. Winter was almost over anyways, only a few more weeks left until the temperatures were no longer as cold. Shoving her hands into her pockets she put her head down as she walked, hoping to get home in time to have a nice warm cup of tea before bed.

Dark red eyes followed her form, his frown hidden by the red scarf wrapped around his shoulders. He stuck to the alleyways, hidden in the darkness, it was where he felt most comfortable. He had followed after her, lingering outside the government building, loathe to step foot into it. Even so he could see the way the receptionist gazed at the young woman who had helped him.

It was the same way people often looked at him, like he was scum and it stoked the fires of anger inside of him. She had been the only person to show him kindness, the only one who had acknowledged him. Reaching her hand out to him...the only other person to do so was now out of his reach.

All For One had fallen, leaving him alone and broken.

And it was all his fault, he had been impatient, hasty, and cocky. He had ignored his master's words of advice and had rushed in without a plan. He just wanted so badly to tear apart society, to show it's blaring obvious faults and in doing so he had lost the only stable support he had.

So he had wandered away from his base and those that were still around, he needed time to think, to wallow in his failure. He needed to grieve the loss of the only person who believed in him, who had seen something inside of him that he himself could not see.

So when that young woman had taken notice of him, not only approaching him but reaching her hand out to him a smile on her face...it stoked something in him. Poked at a slumbering beast that was now wide awake and roaring to be freed. He inhaled deeply, taking in her sweet scent of lavender and apricots, it soothed him, made him calm. In his pocket his hand curled around the money she had also given him, she was kind.

Far to kind, she was a rare jewel in this shit hole of a society and if he didn't do something she would be tarnished by the filth that surrounded her.

So to see her be looked at like the dirt under someone's shoe made him see red, yet instead of giving into the need to lash out he grit his teeth and burned that woman's face into his mind. He would seek out the woman behind the desk later, he would make her pay for insolence.

Kagome shivered as a menacing aura flared to life not that far away from her, blinking to turn towards the aura she could only blink as the aura snuffed itself out. Someone was there, lurking in the shadows, they made no more towards her so she merely shrugged and kept on her way. Her guard was up but she would not actively try to seek out trouble.

She had an early morning shift and she really didn't want any trouble, she just wanted to get home and relax. Giving a low groan she crossed the street that led to the bottom of the stairs that lead to her home, she would have to shovel the stairs tomorrow after work. Grumbling under her breath she began to ascend them completely unaware of the red eyes that watched her every move, recognition flaring to life in the depths of them.