A full moon hung in the deep night sky, surrounded by pinpricks of starlight which illuminated its surface. It's eerie silver light cascaded down below, washing over a single, forlorn figure standing in the dead of the night. Her form swayed gently in the midnight breeze, her thick locks of pure white hair gently caressing her face.
A face that displayed no emotion, yet felt pain and sorrow beyond belief.
A face that had nothing left to hope for, yet somehow carried on in this cruel world.
She tilted her head up toward the night sky, her eyes reflecting a blank stare. Her jet black eyes, which were swirling pits of charcoal, held so much emotion within their depths, yet refused to display it.
Was it because of everything she had been through?
Or was it the people she had interacted with for the majority of her life which caused her to be this way?
For most of her life, her heart was chained and closed off from such emotions. She felt as if she were a lifeless puppet, her strings controlled by another being.
A being who was plagued by cruelty and rage, yet she failed to see the reality of his ways.
All of this changed when she had seen Kagura, her only real connection to the world and her sense of sanity, slaughtered mercilessly by the man she had followed her whole life.
The sight of miasma dissolving the blood of her sister spread a poison through her heart that dissolved the chains.
It was like opening the floodgates which suppressed the sorrow, rage and pain within her heart.
That was the first moment within her life in which she truly felt emotion, and she wanted to curse the entire world and all of its inhabitants.
Something precious had been ripped from her. In fact, the only thing that had ever been dear to her.
The tidal wave of emotions she felt that night was enough to open her eyes, which were pathetically blinded by the man who had done this.
Who had cursed her existence.
Who had brought her into this cruel world, only to strip her of everything she cherished with the intention of discarding her in the end.
Even the thought of it now was enough to make her blood boil, yet she displayed no sign of it on the outside.
Kagura.
She was a lively and fierce woman, and the only one who had somehow understood and cared for her from the start. Maybe it was the fact that they both remained bound to Naraku which allowed them to share their pain and understand one and other.
Their lives were fated to be controlled
by him, yet they took different approaches. Kanna had still been merely a puppet at the time, unable to express the emotions she felt. Kagura was adamant about her decision, and openly defied Naraku for the sake of her own freedom. Though it didn't seem this at the time, they both thrived off of a shared desire to be liberated.
They shared a bond which could not be broken; a sisterly love which formed between them. Even after Naraku's false death, they had remained together while looking for Kaguya.
She heaved a small inward sigh.
After Kagura's death, and the negative emotions that had overwhelmed her, Kanna believed she would never feel the positive side of emotions. Her heart had only suffered after the chains around it had been released.
That was until she was sent on her final mission, and met Inuyasha's group one last time.
In their previous encounters, she had only caused them pain and suffering, and in turn, she suffered the same negative emotions. She had grown accustomed to feeling this way, and expected nothing less than deep hatred from their group. When she and Inuyasha were fighting to the death through the mirror demon, he had stopped abruptly and sheathed his tetsusaiga.
They intended to spare her life.
At first, this caused great confusion. Why would they show such kindness and pity when all Kanna had done was hurt them? Although she despised it, she had expected to die that day just as Naraku intended. But this group, they had given her hope. Shown her the positive spectrum of emotions.
Allowed her to feel grateful, an emotion that was alien to her at the time.
They were such a mystery. Their group was full of such forgiveness and kindness, never causing an unnecessary death, and never playing by Naraku's rules.
Kanna liked them.
She wanted to travel with them. Spend time with them.
Learn to feel the positive emotions that they displayed so often.
When they had told her that the battle was over and she was free at last, she had the intention of following them.
But she knew she could not.
Naraku would never give up so easily.
When he killed her that night, she was filled with such bitterness and hatred. But one other emotion raced through her heart.
Forgiveness.
She had seen Inuyasha's group display it so frequently, and it never failed to make her feel warm inside.
She died with that positive emotion in her heart, and the will to follow his group. In turn, she anchored her spirit to the living world.
Unseen, but still present.
A rustling sound awakes Kanna from her thoughts.
Below the outcropping, she can see two figures walking gently through the lush grass, gazing at the stars. Their faces hold so much tenderness and joy as they look at eachother, their fingers intertwined.
Inuyasha and Kagome.
A small smile graces Kanna's face as she looks down on them from above.
She can feel their warmth spreading throughout her, filling her with positive emotions she once longed for.
She had chosen to follow Inuyasha's group after she had anchored her spirit in the living world. She was not ready to rest in peace, and she had wanted to explore these foreign emotions that were so warm and positive.
Although they cannot see her, she is with them everyday.
She laughs with them.
Cries with them.
Shares their pain.
Feels their joy.
She learns to feel and express her emotions with each new day, and is forever grateful to them for showing her the kindness that her life had lacked.
She glances up at the pale silver moon, but this time with a smile on her face.
As I wander through
this fleeting world,
I cannot help but long for the midnight moon I once saw.