La Danza de la Lluvia by Ko Torii

La Caminata

La Caminata / The Walk

AN: This story is going to be a bit dark... Pero, Goce! (But, enjoy!)

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Drip. Drip, drop. Drip, drip, drop. Drip. Drip, drop. Drip, drip, drop.

Sitting against an old faded wall, which had seen better times, Kagome leaned toward the rusting, white radiator below the window. She had only the piercing pattern of the water impacting the floor for company. The water was slowly slipping down her shoulders from the crown of her head; tumbling down towards her elbow. Collecting and then spilling over onto the floor.

Drip. Drip, drop. Drip, drip, drop. Drip. Drip, drop. Drip, drip, drop.

The shaking had lessened, but the constant chattering of her teeth remained. Soaked to the very core of her being, drowning in the tears from above, Kagome curled into herself. The small amount of heat that she'd found by hugging her knees to her chest was extinguished when a stiff breeze hit her small frame. Shifting closer to draw back any trace of warmth, her socks left streaks of moisture on the floor. Through it all she said nothing, looked no where, and heard only the drips on the ground besides her; the slippage of time.

Drip. Drip, drop. Drip, drip, drop. Drip. Drip, drop. Drip, drip, drop.

The dank room that she was sitting in didn't seem familiar. If anyone had lived there recently, they must have been awful housekeepers. The walls were cracked near the ceilings from water damage, the one small window was murky from smoke and the very floor she sat on was warped and splintering. It was desolate in every way. The only piece of furniture in the room was an old stool which looked lopsided on its own...though it could just be the uneven floors. Kagome couldn't sit on it though because on top of the stool was a small pail; used to catch rain water that found a way in through the make-shift sky light. The room was no bigger than one from a low scale college dormitory or hostel. But Kagome saw none of this. All that was left was her memories; memories that she hoped would eventually be washed away by the same rain that fell upon the ramshackle residence.

Drip. Drip, drop. Drip, drip, drop.

The window above her was faltering, and shivering under every blow of the strong winds. The frigid temperatures brought out the dreariness of her situation. Chuckling in a weary shadow of humor, Kagome struggled to shift closer to the radiator. The heat had been turned off about fifteen minutes ago, but there was a few minutes left until the residual heat ran out. Unconsciously avoiding any burns Kagome made sure to avoid actual contact with the heat source. Heating bills were piled in a pile to the left of her open door. She just couldn't afford it this month, or last month for that matter. The only reason she even got food was the generosity of an elderly neighbor. Fighting back a shiver that was traveling up her spine, Kagome gave up on the radiator and stood. The short walk to the door gave her little energy, but after turning in a mock inspection of the room she decided that a walk down the street was the only way to keep warm, even if it meant going outside soaked and frozen.

Drip. Drip, drop.

Walking through the entry that no longer held a door she turned toward the staircase at the end of the hallway. After shimmying open the old metal door she slunk down the two flights of stairs and went into the night. With few prospects and nothing worth losing Kagome strode confidently to the river for the second time that night.

"No volveré."

Drip.

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No volveré. / I will not return.