Her mother makes tea, and they sit together, enfolded in warmth and tannins.
"I want to hear about him."
The softness of her mother's voice does nothing to mask the hidden demand, and Kagome takes a sip, using the moment to obscure her flushing face. "What do you want to know?"
Mama sets her tea down. "What do you want to tell me?"
She looks at her mother, eyes wavering as confusion, want, and the need for reassurance well up inside. Everything. I want to tell you everything.
But everything isn't what comes out.
"I'm worried he'll eventually be alone."
