Letting Go

Kagome sat nervously in the small cafe on campus. She checked her watch for the fifth time in as many minutes, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her guest. Smoothing down her black skirt, the young girl stood and made her way to the bathroom.

Stopping at the sink Kagome took a good, hard look at herself. Her skin looked a little pale, but other than that she looked well put together. Her hair was freshly washed and neatly brushed, the concealer under her eyes making her look more awake, and her white blouse tucked neatly into her skirt. She pinched her cheeks to bring them some color and then took a deep, cleansing breath.

'Don't be so nervous.' She thought herself, 'this isn't some stranger off the street you're meeting, you've seen them a thousand times. This is nothing new.'

Taking another breath for good measure, Kagome exited the small bathroom and found her guest sipping a hot tea and calmly waiting for her. Reclaiming her seat on the other side of the table, Kagome ordered a hot tea for herself and allowed her company to break the ice.

"Kagome, I'm happy you called, surprised to say the least, but definitely happy." The raven haired girl was awarded with a shy small, but she couldn't find it in herself to return it.

"Hi Kikyou. Trust me when I say I'm as surprised as you." The waitress returned with her drink, and she took a sip letting the warmth spreading through her belly relax her. She eyed the girl who up until a month ago, she considered the closest thing she ever had to a sister.

"Why did you call me? I'm happy you did, like I said, but I figured after what happened you'd never want to talk to me again." The older girl had the decency to hang her head in shame, and the display brought a sick sense of satisfaction to Kagome.

"I wanted to clear the air I guess. After you left, I broke up with Inuyasha." Kikyou made a move to speak and Kagome held up her hand, indicating that she wanted to finish. "I hadn't spoken to him weeks until he practically cornered me on campus and apologized. But even as I looked in his eyes and heard the sincerity in his voice I...still couldn't forgive him."

"Kagome..."

"I love him more than anything Kikyou. I want to move on, I want to forgive him and fix us, because I haven't spoken to him in almost a month and it's slowly killing me. I think the only way for me to do that is if I forgive you too."

Kagome looked up from her speech to see tears swimming in her cousin's eyes, and her heart lurched at the sight. The last time she seen her cousin cry they'd been eight and Kikyou had just broken her wrist after falling off the jungle-gym.

"You know I'm selfish Kags...always wanting my cake and eating it too. What I did, was completely inappropriate and inexcusable. Honestly I don't know what to say to make everything alright again, but I hope that knowing Inuyasha turned down all of my advances helps."

Kikyou grabbed her cousin's hands, they were still warm from where she'd been clutching her teacup.

"I'm so sorry Kagome. You've got a good guy on your hands, please don't let my stupidity be the reason you let him go."

"I forgive you Kikyou, if for no other reason than you're my family." Tears pulled in her own eyes and both girls stood from the table to hug it out.

The girls sat in the cafe for another hour, eating and talking. Paying for their respective meals they both migrated to the door, sharing one last hug before going their separate ways. Kagome didn't know when she would see her cousin again, her adventures always taking her here and there, but she could honestly say that she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. She'd forgiven Inuyasha. She'd forgiven Kikyou, now it was time to forgive herself.

Only then, would she finally be on the path to finding her happiness again.

Sorry for the short chapter, but for the amount of inspiration I'm feeling (or lack thereof) this was the best I could do. Hopefully there are people out there still reading and if you are:

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