Chapter 20: Months Away From You
Kurama sat on a rolling hill over facing the landscape. Tarja had just told them of the plan they had come up with, and, even though he was happy to go home and be able to see his mother, step-father, and step-brother, he knew it would be hard on both him and Sarome to say goodbye.
He continued to think on what to tell her, how he was going to tell her about the meeting's ending. But what was really starting to bother him, was if she was ever going to come back. Tarja had also told him about why her parents were so upset, that it was a joke her brother wanted to play on her for being gone so long: four months. Four months of no school really took its toll on Sarah and Sarome, and even though she didn't visibly show it at times, inside, she was distraught, always talking to herself on homework and projects that were not getting done.
"She will come back, Kurama. She always does," Shelbra said, walking over to him. As the sunset began to come, she sat down next to him, her pale blue eyes reflecting the reddish orange sun setting beyond the mountains. "We will wait until she gets back to send you home. You will get your chance to say goodbye," she said.
"How did you fall in love with Sesshomaru?" he asked. Shelbra slowly turned to face him, her eyes confused. "Sarome told me a while back." Shelbra smiled, and turned back to the setting sun. She looked so wise under that fading sunlight.
"Well, I found there were many similarities between myself and him. Soon, I began sneaking here, to watch Rin, a small human girl who travels with him, or to heal a wound. Later, I became too attached, and I found myself sneaking off from the group to just find him and be with him. He usually acted as if he didn't care in front of Rin or Jaken, his faithful toad demon, but, once we were alone; he was like a whole new person. So much had changed in me, Sarome used to tell me, but I never thought much of it until Hiei came along with Katoma, and you and Sarome. I never noticed the change in me until I noticed the change in them." Shelbra sighed and closed her eyes, soaking in the sunlight.
"Do you not like me and Sarome, or Katoma and Hiei?" he asked. Shelbra sighed again and shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know, personally," she said. "I am not jealous, just, I know how close you all are, but, I mean," she stuttered, but Kurama kept his green gaze on her, "after you guys leave, Sarome is going to be crushed as if everyone just dropped dead. Katoma, well, Katoma too. They have grown so close to you guys, even though they knew they would have to say goodbye."
"The first day we were here, and the first time Sarome was forced to transform, she was, well," Kurama stuttered, having trouble finding the correct term to use, "hardheaded and rude, so-to-speak. What was up with that?" Shelbra chuckled slightly. "What?"
"Sarome knows you, and don't tell her that I told you, but, she always had a thing for you, even if you were just a TV show character. Katoma and Hiei as well. I always thought that was pretty funny."
"Sesshomaru was a TV show character as well, right?" Shelbra nodded, her face filling bright red in color. "So what are you saying?"
"That it is going to be really hard to say goodbye," she whispered. She stood up, sending a quick wind through Kurama's rose red hair, before turning to leave. A small mew behind him made him turn around, and Kirara stood behind him. She mewed again, before crawling into his lap, and falling asleep under his gentle strokes.
Shelbra was right, though. Saying goodbye to Sarome was going to be extremely unbearable, and how he would be able to do it he had no idea, if he was going to be able to do it. So much had changed between them, and Kurama hoped that soon, rather than later, Sarome would come around, and the goodbye would be easier on both of them.