Kun-Loon and Kagome stood in front of the sink, arms deep in bubbly water. Kagome was focusing on a particularly sticky portion of a pan when her mother nudged her. Letting out a soft protest, Kagome looked up out the window to see a cluelessly lost looking young man wandering in the front. Her mother nudged Kagome again, drawing her gaze.

"That's one of Haru's friends..." Kagome said, turning back to the figure and squinting to see if she was crazy

"Well, go on then," Kun-Loon prodded. Kagome smiled lightly and dried her hands on a dish towel.

"And let your hair down."

Indulging, Kagome did so.

"Here, I have some lip gloss in my pocket-"

"Mama," said Kagome, exasperated at her mother's efforts in getting her a nice boyfriend. She darted outside to her mother's teasing laughter, shaking her head. Arm raised in a wave, she called out to the student.

"Good evening, Haruhi's friend!"

The tall man snapped to attention and he lost the sleepy look about him. Kagome was glad, unsure if she had it in herself to further act a fool. She strode up to the tall figure and smiled cheerfully.

"You look lost," Kagome said, putting emphasis on the word to make the trespassing more apparent.

The tall stranger surreptitiously glanced about, seeming to become more and more embarrassed as time passed slowly by. Placing a hand over his face, he exhaled a short, exasperated syllable.

"Ah."

Kagome smiled, now only worried about the young man's downhearted disposition. There was wandering about the upper streets of Bunkyo, and then there was wandering around a seemingly podunk shrine.

When the group had been around last time, Kagome hadn't gotten too good a look at any of the guys; granted, she was distracted by the appearance of an old friend to even really notice them beyond first glance. This young man was tall but lean, with all of his muscle seeming to be gained from fighting. If this guy was a competitor, he would be a bit of a nightmare due to his mass. Tan skin, but by hereditary complexion and not exposure to sunlight. Short black hair cut in a serious style. Calm brown eyes, seemingly completely unaware of her assessment.

Hm. The 'autopilot mode' may prove hindrance, however.

"So, how are you?" Kagome tried for levity, hoping the man wouldn't take offense somehow; one never quite knew with the upper class. When he seemed to deem that unimportant and his focus began to stray, she tried again. "What's your name?"

He snapped to attention so quickly it startled Kagome. When he spoke it was with a rich timbre; It had her smiling at a memory.

"Morinozuka. Takashi."

As Takashi explained his reason for visiting, Kagome was left only slightly less confused.

"Okay, so you're Mitsukuni's cousin- and his best friend so it sounds- who had kendo practice when he came over?"

Takashi gave one swift nod. Kagome stared at him, before a tentative smile broke out onto her face.

"Okay," she said. "So what… does that have to do with you being in a daze all over the front yard?"

Takashi let out a quiet cough. "Was he… alright?"

Kagome's brow furrowed. Alright? In what… context…

"Ah," the memory of his stressed demeanor came swiftly. "He seemed… sad. But physically he was unharmed."

Kagome suddenly grew alarmed, eyes sharpening with focus. "He remains unharmed, correct?"

Takashi nodded once more and she relaxed.

"Good," she said, clearly relieved. "Good."

"Do you know why… he was so upset?"

She watched him curiously. "No, I didn't ask. It… it's not my place to interfere anymore."

Takashi's expression fell- it was minute, but after a time spent in Sesshomaru's company had Kagome accustomed to observing ticks. The lowered brow, the resigned pull of the mouth; oh yes, she knew these signs well. Perhaps it was that familiarity that had her act so bold, but Kagome found herself grabbing his wrist and gently squeezing it.

"But it is yours." Kagome let him go but kept her eye contact steady. Takashi's expression shifted again- leaning back, a raised brow, his mouth already slightly opened to protest.

"Your opinion is worth more than you know. Would understanding words mean more from me, a stranger, or his best friend?"

And, bingo: Taskashi's shoulders gave a slight, defeated slump.

Takashi was so easy to read; Kagome practically had the user's manual in her back pocket.

After guiding the young man over to their porch, Kagome entered the house and came out with two glasses of tea.

"Barley," she said in lieu of explanation, and handed one of the glasses to Takashi. It would be good for someone so confused to rehydrate.

As Takashi took a sip, Kagome took the chance to further study him. He clearly cared about Mitsukuni, what with extending the effort of coming here, but Takashi also seemed to maintain a distance by poking around instead of asking outright. He also seemed completely unaware of the distance.

"Shall I tell you of Myoga?"

Takashi seemed to perk up at least slightly, so hopefully he was interested in a story.

"He was a flea demon, and a huge coward," Kagome began, recalling all the times he would flee battle. "But that's alright, I suppose. Myoga was about this big," she pinched her fingers to show him, trying for a laugh. He cracked a small smile and she counted it as a win.

"Myoga worked under Toga until the man's murder, and after that he would bring InuYasha information about Naraku- oh, he's an enemy- and often popped up at the most inopportune times. The cowardly act became useful after a while, though. Soon enough, every time Myoga would desert from his visits-" she stumbled over her words for a minute, trying to not use I. "- the group would, uh, know that danger was quickly approaching."

Takashi showed no signs of acknowledging the slip, other than a slight head tilt as if to say well, get on with it. He was probably intimidating to others but Kagome took solace in the familiar mannerisms.

A smile touched her lips as Kagome remembered the flea. "He had a fiancee, Shoga, but he always skipped out on her. As far as I know he never married, and if he's still alive today I doubt he's giving her a chance."

Takashi's brow furrowed slightly, and his mouth tightened. "Still alive?"

A shrill, nervous giggle escaped her and Kagome shrugged. "Well, spirits live a long time, right? And fleas are hard to kill!"

Kagome let her hands drop, and she lost her animated expression. Only moments had passed, but she went from enthusiastic to looking as lost as Takashi. Her usual gesticulations ceased in order to pensively place a hand over her heart.

"You probably think I'm silly, holding these stories so close to me…" Kagome smiled and shrugged.

Just as sudden as Kagome's mood had come had it gone. She was simply Haruhi's cheerfully kind friend again, the girl who swept the shrine stairs. It was bizarre, like Takashi had just met two people. Of course the club members could also be hot and cold blooded at times; Kyoya and Mitsukuni's temperament were the first to come to mind but not nearly the last.

So Takashi stuck to what he knew best and let out an understanding sound, hoping to convey his support of Kagome's recount.

"All of these stories I tell… I tell them so often I feel as though I knew these people. No matter how unimportant history thinks they are, they are my precious friends. I learned so much from their stories, even Myoga." Kagome was dry eyed and even smiling, despite the weight of her words.

Takashi thought she was extremely dedicated. It was admirable, the recounting of lives; strangely loyal, in fact. Kagome spoke with a fondness that couldn't be anything but genuine, and even if it confused him he respected it.

So when he said, "What… did you learn from Myoga?" It was a genuine question. What could one learn from a flea?

"Well," Kagome hesitated, buying herself a few seconds before making her assessment. She tried speaking with a clear mind, too aware of her past blunders to deal with another. It was hard, however: the memories would always beckon Kagome back, goading her into losing herself in them further.

"Myoga was a scout and had impeccable instincts. He had good advice and was decent with certain healthcare techniques- one time, InuYasha was actually poisoned and Myoga was able to suck it out… but… Myoga also ran away from everything, all the time. He ran from danger, from hate and from love. In the stories I know he has nothing, and I was always worried he'd end up like that too."

"What happened to him?" Takashi asked. He was certain that Kagome had no idea with the manner she spoke with regards to Myoga, but he had no other questions.

There was that sad look again. For a fleeting moment it crossed Kaome's expression, and left behind a ghost of itself to haunt her.

But what the hell did he know? Myoga hadn't known what he was doing. Takashi didn't know what he was doing. This sad woman in front of him was just as clueless and just as lost as he was and Takashi found himself hating the sudden loss of control. Again with the disorientation. It was upsetting that he was desperate- and practically sick from how uncertain he felt- enough to come to a shrine for guidance, but it had felt right to do so at the time.

A small arm darted out to tap Takashi's clenched fist; the sensation brought him back enough to clear his mind a bit.

"Drink," Kagome firmly suggested, pushing his glass into his hand again. The ice had melted some. The glass was cheap, and mass produced. The ice cubes were shaped by a machine, not chipped. There was a bit of granulated sugar collecting at the bottom.

Takashi said nothing, but when faced with Kagome's continued fussing, drank the rest of his tea.

"Takashi…" he stiffened at the odd note of concern in her tone. "Do you often get... spacey like that?"

Guess he'd never find out what happened to the flea.

Takashi shifted under her eye; Kagome noticed, and visibly softened.

"Sometimes," Takashi mentioned. "When I… don't sleep, or am stressed."

"Are you stressed right now?" Kagome assessed. He seemed very calm.

He nodded, suddenly looking a bit more weary just at the admittance. "Very."

"Do you find yourself losing time with these? Any weird feelings?"

Takashi shifted again, uncomfortable with the topic but also unwilling to forgo finding out what she was getting at. He struggled for a few moments for the right words. Kagome sat patiently, looking out at the bright afternoon and giving him a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Sometimes… I feel like I'm just barely tethered to my own body." Takashi made a faint clenching motion like a child holding the string of a balloon. He seemed frustrated and embarrassed. "One day I'll just float away. Sometimes I do float away, to where I still experience everything, but it's… as though there's white noise, static in my brain."

"This sounds like a red flag, Takashi," Kagome told him softly. "I'm no psychiatrist, but it sounds like you're dissociating. It can stem from a number of things, from trauma to depression."

"I doubt it's that severe," Takashi said, frowning.

"You're losing whole chunks of time," Kagome pointed out. "Probably go through the motions a lot, a regular creature of habit. Let me guess; any free time you have to yourself you have no idea what to do with." Takashi's entire body jerked at those words, and she frowned.

"I'm not a doctor, though, and I'm definitely not capable of diagnosing. But… you exhibit a lot of the same behaviors that I do whenever I have an episode."

With that newest revelation, Takashi felt his throat close up. Was he… dissociating? Was he sick? Was he crazy? Imagine the shame if his family ever found out…

Kagome continued listing symptoms. "Short term memory is inhibited. Apathy. Lack of control. You forget to eat or drink for a good period of time. You grow distant, sometimes apropo of nothing. It frustrates you-"

"Of course it frustrates me!" Takashi scowled. His hands tightened around the glass and he glared at the physical tell of his anxiety.

Kagome viewed him from her seat, leaned back and maintained her relaxed body language. This wasn't a confrontation and she wasn't going to escalate it into one.

"Takashi, are you angry at me?"

Takashi hesitated, turning the thought over in his mind. Was he angry? Yes. But at what? With whom? Kagome had pressed the subject, but had in the same turn refrained from prying. According to her, Kagome was simply comparing the similarities of their cases and offering a possible answer. It was more than a shrine maiden should be asked to do, that was for sure.

But what was he going to do? Run from her words? Ignore her input? Where did running in circles ever get anyone anywhere?

Was that why she had told hin about Myoga?

"No," Takashi answered her, and sank into his thoughts for a bit longer. "If I do have this… what do you do to get back to... to normal?" He cringed at the choice of word, hoping she wouldn't take offense.

Kagome smiled sadly. "It's… a bit different for me. Mine definitely stems from trauma, so I keep a little notebook on triggers- things that set me off- and try my best to avoid or work around them." She took a deep breath. "For example, one of my triggers is spiders. If I see a spider, I can usually shift my panic with breathing exercises. Sometimes- say someone, uh, mentions torture or something- sometimes my panic won't subside even if I use logic to prove that I'm safe. It's all a gamble and it just depends on what sets you off."

A strand of raven hair is tucked behind the shell of her ear. Kagome didn't want to look at Takashi. The conversation stopped being fun a good while ago, but it was important. She hated divulging even a few of her fears, especially because she was pretty sure Takashi's issues didn't seem to stem from trauma. He was rich, though. Maybe an attempt on his life?

"I came here about Mitsukuni," she heard him mumble.

"Yes, well," Kagome looked for split ends in her hair, studiously not meeting Takashi's weary look. "People often get more than they bargained for when it comes to myself. Besides, you can't help him if you don't take care of yourself as well."

Takashi sighed. Okay. A journal, huh? he could do that…