Burning Bridges
Post-war, manga spoilers. One-shot. Sougo addresses Kagura's change in behaviour at their designated place and she in turn notices the changes in herself. Stupid teenage hormones.
"Oi China." Sougo muttered, her eyes drifting towards the boy behind her- rather, the man behind her. Her vermillion locks blew with the wind, tickling her face with its silky strands. She was not used to the sensation, since she had kept her hair short and constricted by cups for most of her life. But now, her hair made her feel more feminine and a lot less like the tomboy she had been labeled as.
The bridge creaked as he approached her, his eyes not leaving hers until she spun her head back in the direction of the orange hued sunset. He strolled a little too leisurely, taking his sweet time to make his way across the bridge. Her hair continued to dance with the warm wind, riveting in the sun's light. Her eyes fell upon the reflective water, the same vibrant orange synchronizing with the evening sky. She gazed at the water, fascinated, until she felt the man reach her side, his eyes fixed on it as well.
"It's pretty." he briefly stated, her eyebrows raising a fraction at the simple remark. She would never have thought she'd hear him say such a thing, especially since he gave off a pessimistic vibe. And yet, as she glanced at the side of his face, she saw the wholehearted sincerity in his eyes. It was the same, warm face he had given her when she was on her 'death bed'. How she still recalled his face then, she didn't know, but it didn't matter. Was it the sun's warmth that had made him speak his mind, or the comforting tropical breeze that caressed their skin?
When his eyes met hers as she inspected his face, she felt her heart leap. "Why are you so surprised? I'm allowed to call things pretty." he chuckled. Out of habit, he instinctively flipped himself over, so he could rest his arms on the railing as if he was reclining in a chair. He crossed his legs, laying back against the wood as if it was the most comfortable spot in the world.
"So, why would you take time out of your day to come and bother me?" she asked. Though she seemed mostly vexed, there was a hint of genuine curiosity in her tone. He let silence drift over them for a moment before finally speaking.
"You put a lot of effort into burning bridges. No pun intended." he stated. Kagura huffed, not wanting him to bring up that matter again, after it had been done and over with. She rested her hand on her face, her mood having gone south after recalling the embarrassing memory.
Sougo knew he had instilled some negative emotions in her, yet he knew it was necessary to draw a proper conclusion for her actions.
"It's not like you to run away from matters at hand. You had to face us eventually. You knew, but you instead chose to put up a charade. Two years can really change ya' it seems." Kagura felt the heat of his gaze upon her. She knew he was staring at her, and yet she didn't have the heart to let her eyes bore into his. She didn't know when she adopted this attitude, but she didn't like it. Perhaps it was out of sheer embarrassment for her behaviour, she had thought.
"I didn't have the heart to face Gin-chan nor Shinpachi after we had split up. I already told you this." she mumbled, not wanting to discuss it further. Even so, he pressed on.
"You shouldn't have hid yourself and instead should have faced the music. I knew you were there, somewhere. I knew you missed them, the Yorozuya." his voice was filled with an array of emotions he rarely projected, his underlying frustration seeping through his tone.
"And you're the one who blatantly missed me." she snickered. He didn't deny it, but his lips pressed into a thin line at the remark.
"Whatever, brat. Just stop trying to burn bridges, it does no good. In the end, you'll struggle to rebuild them." he intoned, as if he had prepared beforehand the words he was going to speak to her.
Kagura couldn't help but smile at his words. Even though they'd never admit it face to face, they supported each other. Even though he didn't state it directly, he admitted that he didn't want to lose their bond. Kagura let her hand fall off of her face and let it fold into her opposite arm's elbow, her posture slouched as she reclined against the wooden railing. Unwittingly, her smile was still plastered on her face as she admired the sunset.
Sougo's eyes fell upon the girl before him, who no longer emitted a tomboyish vibe appearance-wise. Though of course, when she spoke, she was still the same old brat from two years ago who didn't know what proper manners were. He liked it that way, though. And though her hairstyle, attire and body had changed, she still had the same old face, the same old nostalgic, cheeky smile from two years ago. The same smile she gave him when they fought on this very same bridge.
His mind flooded with memories of her, the memories he ever so cherished. He enjoyed having a bond with someone, something he couldn't attain when he was younger, having no friends to latch onto.
"It's pretty." he stated again. Kagura furrowed her brows, her eyes finally boring into his to address the confusion.
"You already said that." she noted, but the words that came out of his mouth left her shellshocked.
"I wasn't talking about the sunset." he implied, his eyes not leaving hers. She knew what he meant, and yet she would've never thought she'd see the day, nor that she'd finally be aware of flirting right before her eyes.
"I told you, I am allowed to call things pretty." he smirked, walking away with his back facing her, waving his right hand up in the air before settling both of his hands into his coat pockets.
She thought he hadn't changed, but it seems both of them had undergone some heart problems.
Kagura felt heat creep up in her face at his words. Stupid teenage hormones.
This is a very short one-shot I wrote within the span of an hour. I wanted to post something since I haven't posted in an eon. I hope it wasn't too bad or too OOC. I got inspired to write this from the most recent chapter (676), plus I still recall in the Kagura's boyfriend arc where she said she didn't understand the difference between romantic and paternal love, so I thought I'd explore her realizing what romantic love is, since she is currently at that period in her life (transitioning from a girl into woman) where I believe she'd discover this.