"Are you on sabbatical then?"
Kuronue, though lounging at a distance and for all appearance, asleep, was the one who replied. "You have the most odd dialect…I can't figure out where you might be from."
It wasn't really a question, so Kagome didn't answer it as one. "Are you currently on leave then?" she clarified, cursing her straying tongue. "You know, taking time away from the clan to see the world…you said some kitsunes did that."
Youko, who had either grown used to the odd phrases, or more likely was focused on separating one curiosity at a time, just looked at her for a long pause. "What makes you think I am still from a clan at all?"
She smiled softly. "You don't really speak about them in the past tense. And if you need this grove to escape from people bothering you, it must mean you aren't estranged."
"That's very astute Kagome."
She blushed.
"And I am not…'on leave', as you put it." he said. "Rather, I am balancing my priorities."
"Oh. Is that hard?"
He stared past her. "Immensely."
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