Drabble # 39, Foggy
Title: The Tinge of Hope
Author: marishaten
Word Count: 499
Prompt: Foggy
Genre: Angst
Rating: T
Warnings: None
Character: Kagome
Summary: Kagome tries to adapt to life in Kyoto.
A/N: This is Part 5 of the story. Follows The Intervention and precedes Forever.
Foggy…
Kagome looked out of the window at the white shroud that had wrapped the world. It had been three days since she was living in Kyoto. The family she was living with had been very supportive - they had opened their guest room, which was complete with a futon, a fire pit, some utensils and supplies so that she could live comfortably with the child. But still, this mansion was not her home - could never be her home. How could it be, when Inuyasha was not living there? Jirou kept crying incessantly, sometimes in chorus with her, as he missed his father’s scent. Kagome had started to wonder if Inuyasha had been visiting them covertly back home - Jirou would have kicked up a huge fuss had his father’s scent been entirely absent from the house.
As the pot started to boil, Kagome shook herself out of the reverie. There was no use thinking about the past. She would have to go out and look for employment - she could not very well presume upon other people’s kindness for too long. Although, how she would manage to do that while taking care of Jirou was beyond her understanding.
Foggy…
Kagome was surprised when she noticed that she had made two cups of tea. It had become a habit with her, over the years. From now on, she would have to remember to make only one cup. Even the thought made her want to curl up on the futon and cry. As much as she tried to delude herself, the truth was she missed Inuyasha beyond words. ‘He has deserted you for heaven’s sake, why don’t you understand?’ she chastised herself. Her brain was already foggy with pain and worry. She could not afford to add fanciful hallucinations to it. ‘Be strong, for the sake of Jirou,’ she reminded herself, as she emptied the contents of the other cup down the drain. If only it were so easy to drain away memories.
Foggy…
She did not have the foggiest notion when the lady of the house had offered to baby-sit Jirou and sent her out to the local shrine. There was a festival that day, she had said, the women went to pray for the longevity of their children. She thought Kagome also ought to make a pilgrimage, given the tragedies in her life.
Suddenly Kagome found herself down an unfamiliar road, enveloped in the mist. The damp, cold air clung to her clothes and hair, making her shiver. Skirting the bushes, she was busy trying to stay on the path, when suddenly she felt…him.
She looked around, trying to locate his unmistakable presence, but the fog had blinkered her vision.
‘Pull yourself together, you are giving in to fantasies once again.’ The voice in her head was quick to rebuke. She walked another few paces and again she felt his presence, stronger this time. Kagome turned slowly around. Through the veil of mist, she could see a hint of brilliant red.