Dragging herself from her bed, Kagome pressed the button on her coffee maker, thanking her past self for setting it up before joining Yuka at the bar. As bad as her hangovers were, she could handle it as long as painkillers and caffeine were involved.

She knew she shouldn't have answered Yuka's text, had promised Mama she'd take longer breaks between binges, but a passage in her medical textbook about amputees had sent her into another spiral, and as much as she pretended to have self-control, his voice was the loudest when she drank, and she'd needed proof she wasn't crazy.

The well had never opened back up. Her family knew of her adventures, but they'd eventually stopped talking about them, leaving Kagome to wonder if they'd only been humouring her.

A swift shake of her head to dispel the thought had her groaning and leaning over the sink. She knew better than to contemplate such dark ideas so soon after waking up.

Her time through the well had been real. The jewel had been real. He had been real. And no matter how much time had passed, she refused to believe it had only been her imagination.

Chugging back the rest of her coffee, she refilled her cup. The first time she'd heard his voice, she'd nearly passed out, instantly sobering even though she'd been on her third cup of sake. Her friends had followed her around the club, helping her look for the person she swore was there, but they'd all come up empty.

She'd started drinking to dull the pain of never seeing him again. She'd continued to keep his memory alive.