February 7th, 9:17 PM, Kagome's Apartment
"Kagome!" Sango exclaimed, practically flinging herself through the door of her friend's apartment as it was tentatively opened.
Kagome froze as Sango threw her arms around her, hugging her tight. "Where have you been? I was worried sick! You haven't answered any of my calls or texts, and you only responded to one email to tell me that you were still alive." She glared. "What gives?" She pulled back a little, giving Kagome a once-over, and then a quick glance around the apartment.
Sango paused when her eyes fell on an unfamiliar suitcase and a pile of blankets and pillow at one end of the sofa. She looked back at Kagome, the question obvious in her eyes.
"I…" Kagome started, shuffling uncomfortably. "I told Kouga that— that I've been sleeping really restlessly— kicking, and— and stuff."
Sango sighed audibly. "Kagome."
Kagome looked at the floor, scuffing her sock-covered foot on the wood surface. "Let me close my front door," she muttered finally, moving around Sango to push the door shut and turn the deadbolt. "Do you want something to drink? There's beer in the fridge…"
"I work at a bar most nights. How about some tea instead?"
Kagome shrugged. "As long as you don't mind the cheap stuff."
"I think I'll survive," Sango replied, following Kagome into the small linoleum-floored kitchen.
Kagome pulled two mugs down out of a wooden cabinet, filled them with water, and stuck them in the microwave before rummaging through another cabinet to extract a slightly bent box of Lipton caffeine-free tea.
"You don't drink much tea, do you?" Sango surmised.
"Coffee's more my drug of choice these days, yeah. Can hardly wake up in the morning without it."
"That might have something to do with your restless sleep, you know," Sango suggested. "If you are actually sleeping restlessly, that is." She raised an eyebrow at her.
Kagome's posture stiffened, then sagged. "I'm not sure if it's worse that it's actually true. Part of me wishes it was a lie, even if it does make a convenient excuse not to sleep in the same bed with him…"
The microwave beeped, signaling that their water was heated through. Kagome popped open the door and carefully withdrew the steaming mugs, setting them on the counter. She handed a teabag to Sango before opening her own.
"Have you guys even had sex at all since he's been back?" Sango asked as she dipped her teabag in her mug.
"Once," Kagome said, without enthusiasm. She picked up her mug and headed out of the kitchen to her bedroom, where they could flop down on the bed or carpet to relax.
"I take it that it wasn't any good?"
"Not…exactly? I mean, Kouga's never been bad in bed or anything, but I just… couldn't get into it." Kagome flicked the light switch on, illuminating white walls, gray carpet, a three-drawer dresser that had seen better days, two side tables with mismatched lamps, and a slightly sagging, queen-sized bed with a striped, spring-green comforter. Kagome set her mug on one of the side tables and flopped onto the bed, landing on her back.
"Kagome," Sango said sternly, setting her own mug down and joining the other woman on the bed. "You can't just keep doing this to yourself. If you're not happy, you need to break things off with him."
Kagome huffed out a breath. "The problem is, I'm certain I should be happy. I was happy before…" She trailed off. "…I think."
Sango's only response was to give her a skeptical look over the top of her tea mug as she took a sip.
Kagome continued, "Well, you know, he does all of the right things. He opens doors, he takes me to dinner, he buys me flowers and jewelry... and sometimes lingerie… Plus, he has a good job that he enjoys and pays well, and a huge Russian family that cares about him a lot." Kagome ticked everything off on her fingers. "That's what's supposed to make me happy, right?"
"But you're not happy."
Kagome scowled. "Maybe not…" She rolled onto her side to face Sango, who was sitting cross-legged, leaning against the headboard. "But I could probably learn to be, right?"
Sango leaned her head back in exasperation, eyes rolling up to the ceiling and wondering where the hell the pissed-off, certain-of-herself Kagome had gone.
"You're just saying that because he's back in town now and being nicer to you," Sango observed, not without some venom.
"Sango!" Kagome looked affronted. "That isn't fair, and you know it! Look, I've just been thinking about it a lot, and there are a lot of women who would love to date a guy like him. Plus, I'm not sure that other guys would be any different for the things that bug me about him. I mean, at least he opens doors and buys me flowers, right? It's not like I can say that about most of the guys I've dated before…"
Sango closed her eyes. She really wanted to shake some sense back into her friend. "Kagome… Ultimately this decision is up to you. If you want to stay with him, that's your choice, but I really think you should consider some of the things you said to me a while ago. This is about what you want, and what will make you happy, not about what anyone else says should make you happy. So do me a favor and figure out what will make you happy, okay?" She drained the rest of the tea in her mug.
Kagome stared into the dregs of her tea, swirling it in the bottom and watching the patterns it made. "I'll try," she said finally. She glanced at the digital clock next to her bed. "You should probably get going. Kouga's going to be back from hanging out with Ginta and Hakkaku pretty soon…"
Sango nodded, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up to stretch. Kagome gathered up their mugs to take back to the kitchen.
"Sango…" Kagome started, trailing off.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for coming over… even though I was avoiding you."
A half smile turned up the corner of Sango's lips. "Well, that's what friends are for, right?"