Somehow, Someday

Chapter 2

Tsumiki stopped doodling to follow the half-humming, half-singing. She peeked into the bathroom.

Her mom glowed. Her eyes sparkled. Colour returned to her skin. She smiled as she leaned closer to the mirror to apply mascara and then lipstick.

The katsumori must have worked.

Tsumiki didn't know what her mom wanted, but she must have gotten it to shine so brilliantly.

"Tsumiki, can you grab me my purse?"

She didn't answer and immediately left for the living room. It was small, but it only made it easier to find the things her mom dropped or flung. Less time to tidy up after too. Tsumiki found the green purse under the jacket, but then spotted the black one on top of the fridge, the strap dangling down the side.

Tsumiki bounced on her toes back to her mom. "The green one or the black one?"

Haruko paused and set the curler down. She tapped the side of her head several times. "Whichever is by the door."

Tsumiki hurried back. Her socked feet slightly slipping as she turned around the corner. She plucked the green purse and rushed back to hand it over to her mom.

Haruko unzipped the bag and ruffled through the mess. Too many useless receipts were in the way of finding the things she looked for. She found the eyeshadow she had been looking for and her favourite setting powder. She was about to toss the bag on the floor when she spotted Tsumiki still watching her. She reached back into her bag and pulled out her wallet. She opened it. Haruko needed to stop by the bank. She was almost out of bills. Haruko began to pull out a 5,000 yen note then hesitated. Her finger reached down to add another 1,000 yen. She waved it in front of Tsumiki's face.

Tsumiki took the bills, seeing the 1,000 yen first. Seeing the second note, Tsumiki said, "Oh," before zipping her mouth shut.

"What? Not good enough?"

Tsumiki shook her head. "Thank you." The problem was it was a lot of money, which meant her mom was planning on being out for longer than usual. "Be happy." She slipped away back to their shared room.

She picked her pencil back up with the intentions of continuing to draw, but her thoughts stayed with her mom's smile. The grip on her pencil tightened, unable to lower it onto the paper.

"Mom's happy, so I'm happy." Tsumiko repeated the words over and over in her head.

Kagome felt directionless.

Grandpa made it seem important, but he was limited in guidance, making them rely mostly on what books there were. Some were in better condition than others. It didn't matter too much. Most were too hard to read. Too many unfamiliar kanji, which meant trying to do anything on her own was significantly harder. It made her want to quit more than once.

What was she supposed to do?

Why?

Grandpa and Mom weren't insistent on any other facet of her life. They didn't force her to practice or anything, but they talked about it with urgency. Grandpa more than Mom. He was the one who held any real knowledge even if it didn't directly apply to her powers.

Kagome could understand suppressing her spiritual energy. Grandpa said it could attract curses. She could understand they didn't want her to be a curse magnet. Everything else though…

They didn't even know anyone else who possessed spiritual powers. There was nothing to replicate. No goals to be met. No semblance of what to do. No understanding of how it could be used or why she would need to use it.

Kagome sat, staring up at the Goshinboku. Mom sometimes sat and stared when she was deep in thought and wondered if she would gain any enlightenment doing the same to no avail.

"You're a shinboku. I have spiritual energy. My family lives here. Can't you help me even a little?" Kagome pouted. So much for being a repository for spirits. If they existed, they surely were looking down on her. Kagome only had herself. "Ow!" She winced and brought a hand up to her side. It had been aching a little as of late. "No help and all pain. Got it." She circulated her energy through the area of discomfort, soothing herself.

Kagome stood and was making her way back to the house when she heard hissing towards the torii. A small scraggily calico kitten hissed.

It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

She had seen a few before in passing. Small ones.

The one on the other side of the torii wasn't small. It was three times her size. A large blueish greyish blob. Its face looked smashed in, if it could even be considered a face. The eyes seemed unfocused and its entire body bubbled like boiling water.

Kagome didn't know they got so big. She knew, but she didn't know. It was hard to grasp when the ones she had seen were more like annoying little pests than anything threatening, but the thing before her looked like it could consume her whole. A shiver passed down her spine, signaling the rest of her body to convulse.

The cursed spirit tried to move closer but was zapped by something at the gate. Some kind of barrier? She didn't do it. Even that, which was allegedly a basic technique, wasn't something she could do.

Kagome felt a little empowered assuming the curse couldn't get closer. "Here kitty kitty." Her eyes shift back and forth from the animal to the cursed spirit. Slowly, she took a few steps closer. She had never been as scared as she was then. The kitten allowed her to pick him up. She took a few steps back, not wanting to look away from the cursed spirit. Kagome reached for her hair clip with her free hand. She tried to imbue her energy into it, hoping to at least scare it off, but she missed her target. It hadn't even reached the curse.

Kagome held the cat a little tighter. She closed her eyes and shouted. "Leave, will you!"

"That's not a nice thing to say."

Her eyes snapped open to see Grandpa ascend the top of the stairs. The curse nowhere in sight. Huh? Where did it go? "Not you. The cursed spirit."

Grandpa went rigid before his movements became jagged. He spoke, but nothing he said really made sense.

Kagome looked back to the torii where the cursed spirit had been. She wondered, not for the first time, whether Gramps could even see them. He didn't have enough cursed energy to use it. He insisted he could at least do some sealing, but those papers didn't have any energy to them. Why lie though?

She looked down at the kitten who she continued to hold. Even this cat could see it. What did that say about Grandpa? She raised the kitten to stare into its eyes. Its fur was dirty, but it had been outside. "Where did you come from?"

"Shouldn't that be my question?" asked Grandpa.

"It was hissing at the cursed spirit." She stared a little more. It was very cute. "Can I keep him?"

"His owner is probably worried about him."

That wasn't a no. "What about we keep him until we find his owner?" And then no owner meant she could keep him forever.

"They require care and attention."

"I can do it!" she insisted.

Grandpa secretly hoped it was a good sign. Maneki-neko was frequently depicted after calico cats in modern day, a sign of bringing good luck to the owner, and Kagome needed all the luck she could get. Though it was odd. Animals seeing cursed energy weren't unheard of, but it was hardly common. Maybe it was less seeing and more extrasensory acknowledgement.

"Ask your mother. And don't forget your brother is due soon!"

Kagome was running off before he could finish speaking. The more the merrier.

It wasn't love.

Haruko knew that. It was an escape. She had to accept it never would be. The friendships she formed throughout school, which served as her escape from her messed up family, crumbled. Her late husband, who she had considered a blessing at the time, turned out not to be – wanting a divorce but died before it could happen. His family didn't like her, knowing she had dragged everything out. She so desperately wanted to fix whatever was wrong. She still didn't understand. His untimely death offered more questions and no closure. Questions that continued to claw at her brain and deprived her of air. Tsumiki, the daughter she could only mess up. Haruko could already envision all the ways she would let that girl down.

Her life was no fairy tale. It was a twisted wonderland. A series of cruel, laughable event, that never ended. She fell into the pits of the abyss. Even if she dared to hope, she could never be the godmother that granted wishes. Not the protagonist that had life sweep her to betterness as long as she held onto faith. At best, she was a witch. Someone who could curse others to experience the same despair she lived through. A witch who couldn't let go of their own selfishness and would only bring anguish to others.

So her newest relationship wasn't love. They made it clear upfront what it was. An escape. A way to pass time. Someone to talk to who understood just how shitty life was. Someone who didn't need meaning.

And right now, running off sounded fantastic.

Tsumiki would understand. She always understood. She'd like having a sibling. Then she'd have more consistent company. This was a good thing.

Haruko twisted the key in the keyhole and entered the apartment. The place had been tidied and cleaned since she was last there. Another indication that it would be fine. Tsumiki was responsible for her age.

"Tsumiki," she called, with no response. She checked the bedroom to see her passed out asleep. It was late. It was only natural. The news of her marriage could wait until morning. She had the registry changed and everything. It wasn't as if she cared for her family name. Neither her parents' nor her late husband's. A new name, a new identity.

Haruko removed her makeup and changed into more comfortable clothes to sleep in. She walked back into the bedroom and laid on the bed next to her daughter, scooping her into her arm. A little longer. She'd curse her daughter a little longer before giving her the distance they both needed.

Kagome held her brother in wonderment as he giggled and gargled. He was so tiny, yet so heavy. Souta was healthy, but a handful. Buyo rubbed up against her leg, purring, vying for attention. The kitten wasn't chipped, and no one had claimed him, so it was only a matter of time before she could claim Buyo as her own. She was happy. Her family was getting larger again.

Megumi didn't know what to think. A lot of it was a blur, but the one thing he couldn't ignore was someone else living with him.

Most people would consider it a good thing. Such a young boy shouldn't have been alone so often. He thinks there was someone who used to stop by, but it hadn't happened in a while if true. Someone had to have stopped by occasionally to drop off money that periodically appeared, but the arrangement was by no means normal. Perhaps, if he were a few years older people would understand. Or maybe not. There were plenty of people who worked long hours and independence was supposedly encouraged at a young age.

One time an adult came by to ask questions but it was all a blur. It felt like forever ago and Megumi never saw him again.

Megumi accepted everything. It's how it had been for as long as he could remember. He had overheard some gossiping neighbours, chattering about their home lives. Perhaps being alone was for the best if their lives were the alternative.

It was weird. He couldn't help but be on edge at first, even though there wasn't a single sign of Tsumiki doing anything wrong. She had been excitable at first, but backed off when he didn't reciprocate. Since then, she had been a constant presence. She cleaned a lot more than him. He didn't increase his effort to do chores to adhere to her regimen which resulted in him doing less than he used to do. Tsumiki was too on top of things. She even knew how to use some of the small appliances that had been accumulating dust in cupboards. He'd been relying on the microwave when he wanted something heated or cooked.

She was too nice.

She didn't expect anything from him. She accepted the unreasonable circumstances they were in. She even defended their parents.

And she did it all with a smile.

She was much too forgiven.

It only made him hate their parents even more. Someone like Tsumiki shouldn't have to live like they were.

Even if circumstances were odd. Even if he had to adjust to sharing a space with another person. Even if the joy she wanted to share felt suffocating. Megumi wanted to make Tsumiki feel welcomed. She deserved better than their shit parents. She deserved not to be alone. She deserved to be happy.

"What's wrong?" She had been staring at him a little too long, so he wanted to push an answer out of her before she dismissed herself like last time.

Tsumiki jumped at the question. She brought her hands behind her back to link them. "I was thinking we could go out."

"This isn't a cell. You can go out." He didn't know what she would do. Their money was limited, and he didn't see the appeal of the park. Visiting at peak hours meant there was probably some irritating kid who deserved to be beaten up. Megumi would fight. Tsumiki knew.

Tsumiki frowned. "I can't leave you alone." Worrywart.

"I'll be fine."

"It's a little far." It's not like they had to be anywhere. "And I want you to come with me."

The longer it took for him to reply the more anxious she appeared. "You could have started with that." She was upfront about her other feelings, like when she nagged him after their visit to the park. He didn't know why she was acting more reserved now.

"Really?" Her face brightened. "I'm happy!" She clapped her hands.

That's all that mattered.

Giving in to her whims, Megumi prepared himself to go out.

Sorry for the wait! I posted the first chapter then got engulfed in a few long fanfics. Oops.