Freshly sprouted grass crunched under their feet, birds and bugs scattering as they walked through the forest, Kagome's bow strapped to her back.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" Kagura asked, giving her sister a sideways glance.
Kagome's nod was firm. Determined. "I can't stay inside all spring." Her fingers tightened around the strap of her quiver, a slightly wilted rose tucked between the fletching. "As much as I'd like to."
"At least you admit it." Kagura's grin turned into a chuckle when Kagome poked her in the ribs.
"You don't have to rub it in," she grumbled.
"Someone has to." Kagura dodged the second poke, spinning around a tree. "We're supposed to be hunting game, not each other!" As harsh as winter was, it hadn't taken long for the ground to thaw. And perhaps it was better that way since it forced Kagome out of the cocoon of depression she'd hidden away in.
It was worse than last year, seeping deep into her bones. There were times when Kagome thought she'd never be warm again.
In the end, it hadn't even been the rose sitting on the cottage stoop that had pulled her out of the shadows, but the way her robes fit. She'd convinced herself to get dressed one morning only to find more fabric left over on her obi than usual.
She'd lost weight.
The physical manifestation was startling enough, but she suddenly realized why she'd been unable to help with the household chores. Her mother hadn't said anything, but she'd been the one to collect water lately, Kagome struggling even to lift the pale.
The shame had lit a fire in her soul, giving her the energy to eat a proper meal for the first time in weeks.
She would not let herself waste away.