Chapter 24

When Kagome had tossed and turned and flopped over onto her tummy for the umpteenth number of times, she groaned and finally gave up. She sat up, untangling the thin sheet from her legs and got to her feet. Pulling at the impossibly frayed hem of the sleeping yukata, she tried to making it cover her decently to the standards of the time. But the clothing was threadbare and clearly had belonged to someone much shorter than her, so her efforts were futile.

The air inside the tiny hut was stale and suffocatingly still. The humidity made the air feel like molasses that stuck to her airways when she breathed.

In short, it was impossible to fall asleep.

Her foster parents however, apparently did not experience the same difficulties and their usual snores where riffing off each other, like a dissonant jam session in the opposite corner of the hut. A bit of heat did not phase them, unlike a certain individual accustomed to modern comforts such as air conditioning.

Sighing, Kagome grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around her waist like a towel. Though it was unlikely anyone would be out and about at this hour, she still feel exposed in what were essentially ill-fitting pyjamas.

She was cautious of her movement regardless and slipped quietly out, being mindful of the clacking the door covering usually made. She took a few steps out and sat down on the raised platform with her feet dangling off.

Kagome leaned back a little, bracing her weight with her hands planted slightly behind her, and looked up at the sky.

When she first got here, she wasn't used to how much one had to rely on the natural light. Without the cool, artificial glow of streetlights, the night always seemed pitch black. Once the sun set, everyone pretty much went to bed unless whatever activity could be accomplished passingly with the glow of the small heath fire. There was no surplus of fuel to waste on lighting village roads.

Now though, she felt a sense of ease looking around. The night, she realized, never actually got completely dark— well, except when there was no moon, she supposed. The sky, when clear, was an ethereal sort of dark purple velvet, littered with more stars than she ever knew existed.

Either the past had more celestial bodies, or it was just modern urban life deprived her of the sight with the excessive light pollution.

Sighing, Kagome savoured the feel of the slight breeze out here in the open. The air was just as thick with humidity though, and saturated with the sound of insect life.

She'd felt too suffocated in the hut tonight for some reason. It was the weather... and her thoughts. Her brain had a tangle of ideas in a death grip and refused to let her fall asleep.

To be fair, today had been odd, justifiable enough to mull over a little but definitely not to the point of rumination.

Kagome had planned to go out to the shallow river bend with Kaede on an afternoon off to explore and play in the cooler waters. Of course, she'd made to sure to make Inuyasha come along— that boy comes in handy.

She felt so relieved that the standoff in the village square ended up diffusing itself with minimal implications, meaning they could pretty much carry on as they have been. Though... Inuyasha seemed a bit more guarded while he was within the village grounds. She couldn't blame him of course—she was just frustrated that the stupid villager and to come out of nowhere and ruin a good thing she and Kaede had worked so hard to bring about.

When Kikyou mentioned she was also free to come at lunch time, Kaede had been ecstatic at the possibility of her sister joining them for their excursion. The smile that stretched wide across her slim face was brilliant and rare. It melted her heart to see her young friend that stoked, but what it meant was perhaps the two sisters rarely had a moment together that didn't involve work or priestess duties.

Kagome had always thought she was pretty good at socializing and making friends, but she felt like a total dork around Kikyou so it was certainly expected for herself to be awkward. What she didn't expect was how Inuyasha and Kikyou was. In her imagination, Kagome saw the two as friends before she came around, and assumed they would be engaged in friendly conversation for some reason. Like what they appeared to be engaged in the time she ran into them at the shrine.

It could not be farther from the truth.

Kikyou sat close to Kaede but noticeably keeping her distance otherwise. Inuyasha did not help the matter, trying to keep to himself on the side, and fair vibrating with discomfort. This made it hard for even her to really help the conversation flow, and the anecdotes she told seemed forced to her ears.

Inuyasha had been oddly... subdued. An incredibly baffling word choice for his demeanour but apt. Kagome hadn't seen him like that before. He didn't say much, didn't cuss up a storm like he usually did or barge in and interrupt without a care.

Thankfully, Kaede was delighted to be able to monopolize her sisters attention for leisurely purposes. The small girl could singlehandedly keep their conversation alive with the amount of enthusiasm she exuded that day.

Kagome had a thought, one she wasn't too proud of, since it was not very generous. But she couldn't help but think that the day they all spent together was some sort of apology. An unspoken truce of sorts after the standoff in front of the villagers regarding the slaughtered livestock.

It didn't feel good that there wasn't a public announcement of Inuyasha's innocence. It was kind of glossed over and dismissed, which made her frankly, rather angry.

A scraping noise broke through her consciousness, and Kagome suddenly noticed she was scuffling the toes of her shoes together while she was lost in her thoughts.

She stopped herself at once. Looking down, her brown loafers were scratched and dulled from being worn constantly, but those things were nigh indestructible— at least Kagome hoped this pair would be. Because she wouldn't be able to replace them when they eventually wore down. And she really didn't want to run around in sandals like everyone else.

Life has been so strange since falling down the well. So many things she took for granted ripped away from her, yet... so many things she'd never known was given to her in return.

If in the fall, she would go with Kikyou to her teacher, and... be able to go home... Kagome didn't like to think about it, didn't want to build up any false hope.

But if she did go home, then...

Abruptly, an image flashed in her mind. Arrogant smirk, puppy ears, silver hair and golden eyes that were sometimes so deep and complex, she had no idea what to make of his thoughts.

Inuyasha...

If she went home, she'd have to leave him. And Kaede and the relationships she built here in the last couple of months.

When Kagome had the rare spare moment she'd been starting to let herself think on it. Which meant not very often because she doesn't actually spend much of her free time without Inuyasha or Kaede or both.

It was starting to nag at her, nudge her from the periphery and come up more often when she was left alone to her thoughts.

Truth was... she would really miss Inuyasha if she went home. And it wasn't like he lived in the neighbouring precinct, and she could just hop on the train to go visit. Kagome highly doubted that whatever magic powered the well to drop her in this time is going to allow her leisurely visits at random back to the past to see her friend.

But just the inklings of a thought of never being able to see Inuyasha again caused such intelligible panic to grip her heart that she would slam on the breaks and refuse to follow the train of thought further.

In just the short time they've known each other, he'd become very dear to her. He was the only one that helped her in the beginning, took care of her in his own convoluted way, and believed her.

He was her best friend, and actually, a better friend than her school mates back home. It felt like he understood her.

And Kagome was a little scared... to be honest.

It was becoming more apparent how strong these feelings were and she was scared of their intensity and what it meant.

Why did she feel so warm when she was with Inuyasha? So content even if they were just idly spending the afternoon or when he offered to catch her fish.

In contrast, why did it feel so unpleasant, like sandpaper grating over her nerves when she saw Inuyasha and Kikyou together. When they were alone and hidden from view by the tall weeds, and their voices too low for her to catch. Even though it was an irrational childish thought to demand such a thing, to be privy to their interaction, when she herself and Inuyasha spent an inordinate of time together alone as is. Surely the priestess can be spared a moment with their mutual friend as well.

…Kagome just wanted to know what Inuyasha and Kikyou were!

And there in lay the problem.

Kagome groaned heavily, burying her face in her hands, and folding down into her lap.

Ugh.

Not going there.

Not tonight.

It was dangerous territory and she wanted some sleep at some freaking point tonight. So Kagome steered her focus to the stars, to the light breeze, the cicada song and willed her brain to shut up and start feeling sleepy already.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. However, this plot, the exact sequence of words and any original characters described therein, I reserve all rights to.